Today I met with my PhD cohort, and we discussed comp exam reading strategies. We have decided not to read as a group, but to meet socially throughout the summer, stay in e-mail contact when issues arise, to meet regularly come September for discussions on the books, and to share comment papers and reviews during the final leg of the preparation process. We also discussed strategies and themes of the practice questions, as well as methodologies. We analysed the PhD presentation day from last Friday, and suggested strategies for our presentations next year, especially for those of us not doing ethnography. We had a slight disagreement on the scheduled date of the first comp - I thought it was January 2007, but the web material still says December 2006. I prefer a January date, but others would like to write before Christmas. I have emailed the student rep to the program joint committee, so that I can have some say in the matter.

Received an email from my Advisor explaining the procedure for tomorrow's meeting, urging me to ask questions as this is the last time I will have them all together for another year. I have compiled a list of issues. She also suggested that I remove the proposed third section of my field comp (Judaism and the body), expand the second to general (rather than just Jewish) visual anthropology, and trim the first section. I have made cuts, but we will now look for suggestions from the other members of my committee.

I have sent my statement of research interests to several friends for feedback, as well as to the Advisor. I hope to have the general area approved soon, so I can start researching and writing the rough draft of my proposal. I have compiled a rough reading list for myself to prepare for the dissertation proposal.