350:518                                                                                                

Index # - 48155

Distribution Requirement:  Required

Friday – 1:10 p.m.    

MU 207  

Thomas Fulton

Introduction to Advanced Research

This class is a hands-on practicum in which students will bring the problems and concerns of their individual research – either past or present – to the table, with the aim of engaging the tools and issues of modern scholarship for immediate practical employment.  It will begin by providing information about a variety of resources, from libraries and archives, through various specialized bibliographies, to on-line databases and web-based sources – as well as encouraging critical evaluation of the utility and reliability of such sources.  We will look at the practice and challenges of textual editing.  We will then move to a consideration of some of the conventions and methods of research, such as note-taking and the compilation of bibliographies, the employment of textual and visual evidence, the use of footnotes and quotations, engaging other critics, and issues of scholarly responsibility.  Librarians, faculty, and graduate students at the dissertation level will join some classes in order to share their experiences and answer practical questions relating to their fields.

Students will occasionally be divided into period or field specific groups, and will find themselves engaged in collaborative work.  Readings will be provided in a course packet, and students will be encouraged to explore further materials in their own fields.  Requirements are active participation, including some short oral reports, a short book review, and a final 7-10 page paper or research proposal that is closely related to a current project, which may be the beginning of a conference presentation, a grant proposal, a possible article or dissertation chapter, or a small piece of original research in their field.  In each case, students will also be required, within the 7-10 pages, to provide a brief critical reflection on their own methodology as represented in their paper, in relation to the material covered in the course.

Books Needed (they will be on reserve):

eds. David Finkelstein and Alistair McCleery, The Book History Reader (Routledge, 2002)

D. C. Greetham, Textual Scholarship: An Introduction (Garland, 1994)

James L. Harner, Literary Research Guide, 4th edition (MLA, 2002)