Course details

Name: ENGL - 506

Title: SEMINAR IN LITERARY RESEARCH

Section: 02

Semester: Fall - 2021

Credits: 3

Description:
The main goal of this required course (formerly ENGL 514) is to introduce students to methods of research and writing in the field of English at the graduate level and beyond. Students will review existing skills in close analysis/reading and MLA style and documentation and learn new ones: ways to synthesize arguments found in literary criticism, identify scholarly debates, and critique those positions. We will explore editing as a personal writing practice and as a way to understand the formation of literary texts. To that end, initial assignments will probably be short but culminate in a final essay project that draws on previous writing during the semester. They will be supported with exercises that introduce students to best research and reading practices, including the use of electronic resources and reference material. The main literary text assigned for the course will be Total Frankenstein: 1818 & 1831 Versions by Mary Shelley (Seawolf Press: ISBN 978-1950435852), supplemented by pdfs posted on Canvas and students’ research into a subject related to Frankenstein. Exploring Mary Shelley’s revisions to Frankenstein will destabilize our notion of the text and authorship and familiarize students with book editions and archival research. Class discussions will reflect on ways to succeed in graduate studies. In order to facilitate those conversations, students are asked to please also acquire The Craft of Research by Wayne C. Booth et al. (University of Chicago Press, 4th ed., 978-0226239736).

Last updated on 2021-05-27 By Nielsen Wendy (nielsenw)

Schedule: Tuesday From 5:30 pm To 8:00 pm

Graduation requirements:

• Graduate (BA/MA)

Teaching Faculty: Nielsen Wendy (nielsenw)

Is course canceled: No