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Description
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The Philosophy Department at
the University of Michigan has a "thesis-orienting
requirement," which ensures that students who achieve
candidacy have significant momentum towards the
dissertation. There are two parts to the requirement. In the
first, the student writes an "independent literature survey"
in close consultation with a prospective thesis advisor on
the topic of the dissertation. In the second, the student
writes a "candidacy reading paper," a "proto-prospectus"
that focuses on the main questions or ideas of a projected
thesis. This is done with an individual faculty member,
either the same as the director of the independent
literature survey, or someone different. Taken together,
these steps give the student established dissertation plans
and relationships, a grasp of the relevant literature, and a
body of writing that can be drawn on in the
dissertation.
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