ENGL 605: Literary Research Methods (Fall 2007)

Prof. Wendy C. Nielsen

Mondays 8:15-10:45 PM, DI 179
http://chss.montclair.edu/~nielsenw/methods07.html
http://english.montclair.edu

Prof. Wendy Nielsen
Office Hours in Dickson Hall 352: Mondays 2:30-5:30, & by appt.
Email: nIElsEnw@mail . . . 

Texts available at University Bookstore:
Secondary Critical Readings are available on online syllabus (when direct link and on campus network avail.), via Blackboard <http://montclair.blackboard.com>, or off campus through Articles and More <http://library.montclair.edu/articlesandmore.html> (go to selected database: JSTOR, Project Muse, etc.) after establishing a Proxy Server <http://library.montclair.edu/remote_access.html>. We will also be using Wiki Spaces <http://www.wikispaces.com>, for which you'll need to sign up for a free username so that you can edit our pages <http://profwendy.wikispaces.com/Methods07>

Course Description: This course is often referred to as the “Methods” course, because in it, graduate students articulate and practice the methods of literary research. The catalog describes this required course as: “Instruction and practical experience in such areas as reference sources, textual study, kinds of criticism, and the basics of editing. Recommended for the first or second semester of graduate study.” We will accomplish these goals by querying the categories of text, author, and genre; reading about some of the history of English as a field; and writing short pieces that support the processes of literary research. In addition, class participants will investigate intra-disciplinary categories (international, British, and American literatures as well as Writing Studies) and interdisciplinary techniques for researching literature.

Requirements:

Policies:

Tentative schedule subject to change; please check your Montclair email and <http://chss.montclair.edu/~nielsenw/methods07.html> for updates

Date
In-Class Activities
HW due
Links
1. Sept. 10
What is literature? Fav. Databases; Online Glossary + Faculty Assignments Read R. Barthes, "Death of the Author" (1977) from Image, Music, Text (Blackboard); Klarer, 1-26, 63-96; "Teaching Literature in the Academy Today" PMLA 112.1 (Jan. 1997) JSTOR
UCSB English; CHSS faculty
2. Sept. 17
Post 1945 Lit.; American Poetry; Art of the Book Review
Sign up for a Wiki Spaces account so that you can edit one of our pages; read from Beat Reader: J. Kerouac, 10-42; A. Ginsberg, 62-76; G. Corso, 182-85; L. Ferlinghetti, 245-63; T. Kupferberg, 384-94; N. Mailer, 581-605; Klarer 27-41; M. Theado, "Beat Generation Lit. Crit." in Contemp. Lit. 45.4 (Winter 2004) JSTOR; L. Sante, "On the Road Again," NYT 19. Aug. 2007
Howl recording; Wordsworth, "Daffodils"
3. Sept. 24
Cultural Capital: The Problem of Literary Canon Formation
Read Guillory, 3-82, 134-75, 269-340; Position Paper #1 due

4. Oct. 1
Brit. lit.: The Importance of Being Earnest; Drama as Performance Read O. Wilde;  C. Craft, "Alias Bunbury" in Representations 31 (Summer 1990) JSTOR; Read Klarer, 41-52 & Theater Reviews of Earnest ; Position Paper #2 due
Calls for Papers;
5. Oct. 8
Class cancelled
Read ahead

6. Oct. 15
What is World Literature?
Read Damrosch, 1-77, 110-44, 187-205, 281-303; "Biographies/Meet the Faculty" contributions due: please post to Wikispaces if possible "ENLT: International Literature"; ACLA; PEN; CLC Web Journal
7. Oct. 22
class cancelled
Read Rigoberta 1-246; Decide which work you'll be reviewing (cf. Klarer 97-101)
8. Oct. 29
Criticism on I, Rigoberta Menchú Read Damrosch, 231-59; E. Burgos, "Testimonio and Transmission" from Latin American Perspectives 26.6 (Nov. 1999) (Bb & JSTOR); A. Arias, "Authoring Ethnicized Subjects" in PMLA 116.1 (Jan 2001) (Bb &JSTOR); A. Arias, "After the Rigoberta Menchú Controversy" in MLN 117 (2002) (Bb & Proj. Muse);  Position Paper #3 due
Supplemental: D. Stoll, excerpts from Rigoberta Menchú and the story of all poor Guatemalans (coming soon to Blackboard); Nelson, Diane. "Indian Giver or Noble Savage," from American Ethnologist (May 2001) (Bb and AnthroSource)
9. Nov. 5
Writing Studies
Read in A Guide to Comp. Studies, 1-112: Position Paper #4 due; midterm review of contrib. to Online Glossary
10. Nov. 12
Final Proj. Topics;  Wikispaces; Researching Pedagogies; Revising P.P.
Read in A Guide to Comp. Studies, 113-223:  announce subject for Final Project to instructor ERIC; Education Full Text; Research in Teaching of English (May); CCC
11. Nov. 19
Sprague Library Tutorial (Sprague 203)
Book Review of Recent Work in Literary Studies due
Montclair Electronic Text Archive; The Spectator Text Project
12. Nov. 26
Book review returned; Expectations for Final Project
Position Papers due
Internet Library of Early Journals; CESAR; People Play UK
13. Dec. 3
Tips for Thesis Writing Rough drafts of Final Project due (cf. Klarer 103-15); Revisions of Book Review due
14. Dec. 10
Comments on drafts returned;  One-on-one conferences Contributions to Online Glossary due (critical introduction)

Mon. Dec. 17
Final Project
due at 8:15 p.m.


Last updated Nov. 2007, WCN