http://wiz2.cath.vt.edu/Mosser/5014.09/5014.html
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2-3 TR, & by appt. |
Shanks 229 |
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DESCRIPTION | TEXTS | REQUIREMENTS | POLICIES | TOOLS | SCHEDULE | RESERVE
This course introduces the materials and methods of research used in English Studies. Students learn how to locate primary texts, contextual documents, and critical scholarship, to evaluate their kinds and degrees of authority, and to incorporate and cite this material in original research.
Introduction to Literary Research focuses on research methods, the use of specialized reference works, literary history, textual studies, especially bibliographic description and textual criticism. It is, on the one hand, a practical introduction to life in graduate English Studies; second, it also aims to show you how to use tools for research in advanced English Studies and how to use the library efficiently (and well) in the service of your own research (since most of you will be involved in the Library Skills course with Connie Stovall, our Humanities Reference Librarian, we can work on more specialized English Studies research); most importantly, "Literary Research" is an introduction to scholarly theory and practice.
[Available from the Tech Bookstore / 118 S. Main St. / 552-6444]:
Précis/Summary (one, 10 points)
10%
30%
10%
10%
Project (annotated bibliography)
40%
Please silence all cell phones, pagers, and other class-disruptive devices and technologies before class begins. If you need adaptations or accommodations because of a disability (learning disability, attention deficit disorder, psychological, physical, etc.), if you have emergency medical information to share with me, or if you need special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible.
Scholar: this is the jumping-off point for our online course materials
Oxford English Dictionary, New Edition, online (internal--VIVA--users only)
Google Scholar search engine
The Internet Archive Wayback Machine: Browse through 40 billion web pages archived from 1996 to a few months ago.J. David Bolter, Writing space [electronic resource] : computers, hypertext, and the remediation of print. (2000). Call no. Z52.4 .B65 2000eb (Internet)
Worldcat: Bibliographic records for books, journals, sound recordings, videos and manuscript collected and cataloged by your library and libraries around the world. Includes manuscripts written as early as the 11th century. Use ILLiad to request items not own by VT. (internal--VIVA--users only) Antecedents include the National Union Catalogue.
Worldcat: Public-access version.
MLA International Bibliography: this supercedes the print version that appeared annually in bound format, which are all now in storage.
Dictionary of Literary Biography
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
Endnote
Stephen Fry and the Gutenberg Press, part 4 of 6 (type)
Stephen Fry and the Gutenberg Press, part 5 of 6 (paper)
Lindisfarne Gospel image at the British Library
Video clip on Medieval Manuscript Production Using Illustrations from MSS
The Structure of a Medieval MS (Getty Museum Video)
Medieval Manuscripts of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
Medieval Manuscripts of the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge
Medieval Manuscripts of the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, Part 2
Wax Tablets
Tues. August 25
Introduction to Course
Thurs. August 27
Kelemen, "Forward" and "Why Study Textual Editing and Criticism" (xiii-27); sign up for Précis dates
Tues. Sept. 1
Scavenger Hunt: no class today, but I will be available in my office during class time
Thurs. Sept. 3
Scavenger Hunt solutions due by 9 AM via email; Kelemen, "Text Technologies and Textual Transmissions" (29-72); précis: Taylor McClure
Tues. Sept. 8
Watermarks workshop; Kelemen, "Text Technologies and Textual Transmissions," continued
Thurs. Sept. 10
Kelemen, "Textual Criticism and Kinds of Editions" (73-120); précis: Andrew Casto
Tues. Sept. 15
Meet in Newman Library Special Collections
Thurs. Sept. 17
Kelemen: A. E. Housman, "from The Application of Thought to Textual Criticism" (123-34); précis: Lindsay Ehrlich; Michael Lautenschlager; Sarah Yakima
Tues. Sept. 22
Kelemen: W. W. Greg, "The Rationale of Copy-Text" (135-53); précis: Grace Mike; Tess Sell
Thurs. Sept. 24
Professor Dave Radcliffe will join us to talk about annotation researching on the web
Tues. Sept. 29
Begin transcriptions of Smith Family Civil War Letters
Thurs. Oct. 1
Transcriptions, continued
Tues. Oct. 6
Kelemen: Leah Marcus "The Shakespeare Editor as Shrew-Tamer " (226-52); précis: Chelsea Skelley; Pearl Blevins
Thurs. Oct. 8
Kelemen: G. Thomas Tanselle, "Editing without a Copy-Text" (253-80); précis: Daniel Helbert
Friday Oct. 9 Fall Break Tues. Oct. 13
Kelemen: James Thorpe, "The Aesthetics of Textual Criticism" (154-93); précis: Ray Higgins
Thurs. Oct. 15
Kelemen: Joseph Grigely, "The Textual Event " (194-225); précis: Todd Stafford; Jerry Liles
Tues. Oct. 20
Transcriptions and Annotations of Smith Letters due
Thurs. Oct. 22
Class discussion of topics for your Annotated Bibliography Project--bring your proposal to class
Tues. Oct. 27
Kelemen: Ralph Hanna III, "Producing Manuscripts and Editions" (333-61); précis: Michael Sutphin
Thurs. Oct. 29
Kelemen: Working with Documents: "Truth," Geoffrey Chaucer (509-61)* Tues. Nov. 3
Kelemen: Charles E. Robinson, "Texts in Search of an Editor: Reflections on the Frankenstein Notebooks and Editorial Authority" (363-83); précis: Zach Woods; Meka Schwartz; Eric Boynton Thurs. Nov. 5
Professor Ernest Sullivan will visit to talk about editorial/textual issues in the work of Joseph Conrad and Professor Paul Sorrentino will talk about similar issues and Stephen Crane
Tues. Nov. 10
Kelemen: Working with Documents: "from Frankenstein," Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (495-508)*
Thurs. Nov. 12
Kelemen: Working with Editions: "[Safe in their alabaster chambers]," Emily Dickinson (441-72)*
Tues. Nov. 17
Presentations: Meka Schwartz; Andrew Casto; Jerry Liles; Todd Stafford
Thurs. Nov. 19
Presentations: Lindsey Ehrlich; Zach Woods; Ray Higgins; Taylor McClure
November 21-29 Thanksgiving Break Tues. Dec. 1
Presentations: Pearl Blevins; Sarah Yakima; Chelsea Skelley; Grace Mike
Thurs. Dec. 3
Presentations: Daniel Helbert; Eric Boynton; Tess Sell; Mike Lautenschlager Tues. Dec. 8
Last day of class; Annotated Bibliography Project due today; Evaluations
Transcription/Editing Project:
Due Tues., October 20: Marc Brodsky, of Newman Library Special Collections, has identified a set of letters written by members of the Smith family during the Civil War. Each of you will produce a diplomatic transcription of 2-4 of these letters, a description of the original documents, and annotations of names, places, events, and terms/references not commonly known.
[back]
Précis:
Each of you will provide a or précis for one of our readings (i.e., one of the assigned essays, chapters, etc.). The précis should be between two pages and one-third of the original. The précis methodology requires scrupulous neutrality towards the content and argument of the target piece of writing; however, in class you may provide us with your own reaction to and critique of the essay/article/chapter. You will discover that some of the materials do not readily present themselves as précis targets. Before you select your targets, please do at least take a look at them. If your selections are problematic, you may choose to opt for the summary format, but please make clear in your contribution which form you are adopting. Each précis should begin with a bibliographical citation of your article, chapter, etc., using MLA Style. Readings marked with an asterisk (*) are not appropriate for a précis; this means more than one of you will have to be responsible for some readings, especially as the class is so large. Please complete your précis before the class session during which we will be discussing the essay/chapter and either email to me to distribute or bring copies to class. You are also welcome to target a reading in our text that is not assigned. [back]
Due September 3, by 9 AM via email. I will distribute this 10-point exercise In class on Thursday, August 27. We won't have class on the following Tuesday in order to insure you have some "built-in" time to make your Library visit and complete the hunt. You may email me your solutions, keying them to the version of the question you are asked to answer, e.g., "1c," "4d".... [back]
Presentation:
The purpose of these 10-minute presentations is to share what you have been working on for the Annotated Bibliography project. You [likely] will not be finished when you give your presentation, but you will want to be far enough along to discuss the material intelligently, to review problems you have encountered, and to elicit feedback. [back]
Annotated Bibliography/Review of Scholarship:
Due Tues., December 8: I strongly encourage you to use this as an opportunity to explore a topic you might turn into your capstone project. You will need to produce a bibliography as part of your proposal and this might be a way to accomplish much of that work in advance. An annotated bibliography accomplishes several purposes (see the two "guides" below for elaboration on some of these): it requires you to demonstrate a familiarity with a specific style sheet and to apply the elements of that style sheet to your bibliographic citations; it requires you to demonstrate an understanding of the work's thesis or theses; it provides a summary of the key points in the argument so that you will not have to reread the work to remind yourself of the jist of its content; ideally, an annotated bibliography will allow you to track the scholarly arguments that have emerged on the subject you are exploring. The UNC example below provides some useful examples (e.g., this one using the MLA format). You should be introduced to Endnote in the 1 hour course you are taking with Connie Stovall. It would make sense to use this tool for this project, as it will help to insure proper formatting for you bibliography entries. The bibliography, including citations and annotations and any prose commentary, should comprise 15 pages, double-spaced.
Cornell University Guide to Annotated Bibliographies
University of North Carolina Guide to Annotated Bibliographies[back]