English 2847/3800                                                               M & W:  9 -10:50

Fall 2001                                                                                Penrose Library: BI & CTR

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY & RESEARCH METHODS

 

Course URL:  http://www.du.edu/~emcnees/2847.3800.html

 

Eleanor McNees                                                                   Peggy Keeran

Office:  Sturm Hall, 486-C                                                    Office:  Penrose Library

Hours:  W 1-3 & by appointment                                         Hours:  by appointment

Phone:  303-871-2855                                                         Phone:  303-871-3410

E-mail:  emcnees@du.edu                                                  E-mail:  pkeeran@du.edu

 

Course Objectives:  Bibliography & Research Methods serves undergraduate honors students and graduate students pursuing degree programs in the Department of English.  The course provides undergraduate students with the skills necessary to undertake and then complete an honors thesis; graduate students with the expertise and readiness needed to write one of the following documents:  a prospectus for a master's thesis; a prospectus for a doctoral dissertation; an essay for presentation at a conference; or an article for publication in a scholarly journal.  (Undergraduate students will be given graduate library borrowing privileges for the duration of the year.)

 

Course Description:  This course will train students in advanced techniques of literary research.  The first half of the quarter will emphasize training in a variety of reference sources - electronic and print - and introductions to Special Collections and Iliff's Taylor Library.  In the second half of the quarter, students will pursue independent research on the topic of their choice.  Undergraduates will work on their honors theses, and graduate students will work on a prospectus for either a master's thesis, or a doctoral dissertation.  Graduate students also may choose to focus their research on developing an essay into a conference paper or journal article.

 

Method of instruction:  The course will be team-taught by Penrose Library and English faculty.  Classes will consist of lectures, discussion and hands-on research using [UoD1] collections.  Students will have ample opportunities in and outside of class for individual consultations with faculty on their projects.

 

Prerequisites:  Undergraduate Students must have both University honors standing and an approved topic for the honors thesis.  Graduate Students must have either a chosen topic for the thesis or dissertation prospectus, or a chosen seminar paper for further research.

 

Method of Evaluation:

Research Proposal (2-3 pages), due 9/17/01                                           5%

Short Assignments, due weekly                                                                  30%

Draft of Prospectus/Essay and Annotated

Critical Bibliography, due 10/15                                                      15%

Oral Presentation, due 11/12 and 11/14                                                    5%

Final Draft of Prospectus/Essay and Annotated

            Critical Bibliography , due 11/16, 5 pm                                          40%

Class Participation                                                                                       5%

                                                                                                                        100% 

 

Texts:

Altick, Richard D., and John J. Fenstermaker.  The Art of Literary Research.  4th ed. 

New York:  W.W. Norton & Co., 1993.  On Reserve PR33.A4 1993

Gibaldi, Joseph.  MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers.  5th ed.  New York: 

The Modern Language Association of America, 1999. Required.

Graff, Gerald.  Professing Literature: An Institutional History.  Chicago:  The University

of Chicago Press, 1987.  Optional.  On Reserve PN70.G7 1987

Harner, James L.  Literary Research Guide.  3rd ed. New York:  The Modern Language

 Association of America, 1998.  Required.

Harner, James L.  On Compiling an Annotated Bibliography.  2^nd ed.  New York:  The

Modern Language Association of America, 2000.  Reference Stacks Z1001.H33

2000

Marcuse, Michael J.  A Reference Guide for English Studies.  Berkeley:  University of

California Press, 1990.  Reference Stacks PR56 .M37 1990

 

Some Rules of Thumb:

• Always use Harner’s Literary Research Guide as a starting point.
• Develop a systematic way to organize your research notes.
• Do not omit negative finds from your records.
• Keep careful track of your research process and report your process in every assignment.
• Never give up hope.
• Ask for help if you need it.
• Be a critical reader.
• Be flexible.
• Narrow your topic’s definition as you proceed.

 

Assignments:

• Research Proposal (2-3 pages):  Propose a research topic and outline your research plans for this course.  The topic should reflect your current research interests, but you may change or modify the topic as the quarter progresses.  Undergraduates must have topics approved by advisor.
• Short Assignments:  These assignments will reinforce the material covered during class.  In every case, you will be asked to use specific resources or techniques to research your chosen topic.  Follow carefully the instructions for all of these assignments.  Be sure to describe the process and method of your research.  Please organize each short assignment according to the outline provided below for your complete annotated critical bibliography.
• Draft of Prospectus and Annotated Critical Bibliography:  Graduate students writing a prospectus for either a master’s thesis, doctoral dissertation, conference paper, or journal article will submit a 5-7 page document that sets forth both the context, topic, and arguable thesis for their work as well as the scope and focus of their plans for research.  Undergraduate students will submit a 3-5 page document that also meets the objectives for their honors theses.  Many of the short assignments for this course will be incorporated into your annotated critical bibliography.  (See James Harner’s On Compiling an Annotated Bibliography for more information.)  A complete annotated critical bibliography should include the following sources, including call numbers and library locations for each citation. 

 

Note:  The following description concerns the complete structure of your final bibliography for this course.  Your draft will cover only categories 1-3 below.  For the draft, you need to prepare a total of 10 annotated bibliographic citations, at least two from each of those 3 categories.  For the final version, undergraduates should annotate at least 30 citations; graduate students at least 40).  Structural outline:

 

1.      Primary Sources:  Please consult Professors McNees and Keeran if you have any questions about whether or not these sources will be useful for your particular project.  In the case that the sources are not appropriate, substitution categories will be assigned.  All students are required to explain their reasons for selected texts/editions.

·        Relevant standard editions or important editions

·        Standard biography

·        Correspondence

·        Manuscripts and their locations

·        Concordances

·        Bibliographies

·        Electronic texts and/or resources:  CD-ROMs, web sites, electronic databases

2.      Secondary Sources (10 citations, at least 2 from each category):

·        Contemporary reviews or critical opinions from when literary works were published

·        Critical essays

·        Books

·        Book chapters

3.      Ten-Year Literature Review (10 citations)

 

4.  Relevant Genre/Period/Theme (at least 5 citations)

 

5.  Relevant Cognate Area (at least 5 citations)

 

• Presentations:  In a 5-minute, succinct, and entertaining presentation, describe your research project.  Be sure to explain some of the major resources used in developing your project, and any insights gained (and/or mistakes made).  You may want to discuss the most important single text, manuscript, or critical source that you discovered and explain why this work is integral to your project.
• Final Edition of Prospectus and Annotated Critical Bibliography:  In a 10-page prospectus (5-7 for undergraduates), present the following:  the context, topic, and arguable thesis of either your honors or master’s thesis, critical preface, dissertation, or scholarly essay; and the scope and focus of your completed research.
• Class Participation:  Attendance and participation in class discussion are required.  Inexcusable absence and/or lateness will lower your grade.

 

NOTE:  All assignments must be typed.  All assignments will receive letter grades.

 

CALENDAR

(subject to small changes)

 

NOTE:  All classes will meet in the Bibliographic Instruction Room, Penrose Library, unless otherwise specified.

 

Week 1:   Introduction to the Course and Computerized Library

 Searching

 

Mon., 9/10     Meet in the Computer Training Room in Penrose Library

 

Discussion:  Brief, written description of topics to be researched.  Virtual tour:  Penrose Library home page, Peak, Prospector, E-Resources, WWW, and MLA Bibliography.

                       

Wed., 9/12     Computer Training Room, Penrose Library

 

Readings:  1)  Find the full text of Gertrude Himmelfarb’s “Revolution in the Library,” published in American Scholar.  Find this article online via the Penrose Library home page, http://www.penlib.du.edu/ : Click on E-Resources, keep category General, click on the gray retrieve button, select Periodical Abstracts from the list of databases on the next screen, then search, using the advanced search, for the Himmelfarb article.  Read and discuss at next class.  2)  Read Peggy Keeran’s article, “Humanities Reference Librarians in the Electronic Age: Strategies for Integrating Traditional and On-Line Resources in an Academic Library” in Reference Librarian.  On Reserve.

Discussion:  Himmelfarb, Keeran, search strategies, Penrose Library home page, other library catalogs, WorldCat, e-mail citations, ILL, Prospector, Pascal.

 

Assignment #1, due Monday, 9/17:

Part 1:  Research your topic in MLA Bibliography.  E-mail 5 relevant citations to yourself and print them for submission on Monday.

 

Part 2:  Research your topic in another library catalog via the Penrose Library home page, find different citations than from those found in MLA, then follow the same procedures as above.

 

Part 3:  Research your topic in WorldCat, find an additional 5 citations, then follow the same procedures as above.

 

Part 4:  Does Penrose own each of the 15 sources you found for parts 1-3 of this assignment?  If so, provide the locations and call numbers for each item.  If not, use Prospector to find if other Colorado libraries own, then note each item’s location and call number. 

 

Remember, your 2-3 page Research Proposal is due next Monday.

 

NOTE:  In each part of this and every following short assignment, be sure to describe the process and method of your research.  This first short assignment contributes directly to your annotated bibliography, especially section 2, so be critical about the choices you make during this assignment.

 

Week 2:  Researching with E-Resources and Strategies for

Literary Research

 

Mon., 9/17     Computer Training Room, Penrose Library

 

Assignment due:  Research Proposal and Assignment #1

Discussion:  MLA, ABELL, ABES, Project Muse, finding journals full-text online, and Academic Universe from Lexis/Nexis. 

 

Wed., 9/19   Computer Training Room, Penrose Library

 

Reading:  Altick & Fenstermaker, “Making Notes” (on Reserve)

Discussion:  Practice search strategies acquired in previous classes.  Evaluation of web sites.

 

Assignment #2, due Monday, 9/24:

 

Part 1:  Can you find any references to your topic in Academic Universe?  How would you characterize the information you have found?  Summarize at least one entry using MLA bibliographic style.

 

Part 2:  Is there a home page for your author or topic on the WWW?  If not, can you find the full electronic text of at least one work (novel, short story, poem, essay) that pertains to your topic?  What is the URL?  Describe the scope of the site.  Who is responsible for maintaining the site?  Does the site have a sponsor?  Would you characterize the site as authoritative?  Why, or why not?  Give the full MLA bibliographic information for this site (see the MLA home page, www.mla.org, to find instruction on citing a web site using MLA style). 

 

NOTE:  This second short assignment contributes directly to your annotated critical bibliography, especially section 2.

 

Week 3:  Research Principles & Researching Secondary Materials

 

Mon., 9/24    

 

Assignment Due:  #2

Reading:  Harner: A, D, E, G, H, & I; Altick and Fenstermaker, “The Spirit of Scholarship” (On Reserve)

Discussion:  Harner, Altick and Fenstermaker, primary vs. secondary sources, indexes vs. library catalogs, union catalogs, standard editions, biographies, concordances, and correspondence.  In addition, will cover literary companions, handbooks, dictionaries and encyclopedias which are valuable during initial research.

 

Wed., 9/26

 

Discussion:  Secondary materials, reviews and critical essays, dissertations and dissertation abstracts, journal articles, books and book chapters, bibliographies.

 

Assignment #3, due Monday, 10/1

 

Part 1:  Search for the following primary materials.  If not working with a specific author, consult with Professors McNees and Keeran for substitute categories. 

• Relevant standard editions or important editions

• Standard biography
• Correspondence
• Concordances
• Bibliographies
• Electronic texts and/or resources

 

Part 2:  Search for the following secondary materials.  Submit a list of at least two citations for each category below and annotate at least one review and one critical essay or book chapter.

• Contemporary reviews or critical opinions from when literary works were published

• Critical essays
• Books
• Book chapters

 

Part 3:  Provide an account of your research process for parts 1 & 2 above.  Use MLA style for all citations.

 

NOTE:  This third short assignment contributes directly to sections 1 & 2 of your annotated critical bibliography.

 

Week 4:  Researching Literary Criticism, Theory, and Literary

History

 

Mon., 10/1

 

Assignment Due:  #3

Reading:  Graff, chapters 1, 9, 10, 11, 14, & 15; Harner, all entries in the subject index for “literary criticism,” “literary handbooks,” and “literary theory.”

 

Wed., 10/3

 

Discussion:  Secondary materials, Year’s Work in English Studies, American Literary Scholarship, annual journal review essays, A&H Search, MLA, ABELL, and ABES.

 

Assignment #4, due Monday 10/8

 

Part 1:  Use evaluative resource[s] such as the Year’s Work in English Studies, American Literary Scholarship, and/or an annual review essay in an appropriate academic journal to create a critical and opinionated list of the 10 most important critical works on your topic published within a decade of your choice.

 

Part 2:  Explain your choice of decade.  What kinds of scholarship (e.g. critical schools and methodologies) do and do not prevail during that particular time?

 

Part 3:  Explain your choice of each citation.  Why are your 10 critical works important for your topic?  What particular emphases do they bring to and omit from the study of your subject matter?  What are the strengths and limitations of each source?

 

Part 4:  Annotate at least 1 citation.

 

NOTE:  This fourth short assignment contributes directly to section 3 of your annotated critical bibliography.

 

Week 5:  Genres and Archives/Manuscripts

 

Mon., 10/8

 

Assignment Due:  #4

Reading:  Harner, L

Discussion:  Harner, literary dictionaries and encyclopedias, Peak, MLA, etc.

 

Wed., 10/10

 

Guest Faculty:  Steve Fisher, 303-871-3428, Penrose Library, Special Collections, http://www.penlib.du.edu/specoll/index.html

Reading:  Harner, F

Discussion:  Harner, manuscript locations and citation formats, Keeran and research in UK libraries, http://www.du.edu/~pkeeran/london/

 

 

Assignment #5, due Monday, 10/15

 

Complete a draft, as outlined above, of your prospectus or essay, and annotated critical bibliography.  Annotate at least 5 citations from Section 2 and 5 from Section 3.

 

Week #6:  Cognate Area

 

Mon., 10/15

 

Assignment Due:  #5

Reading:  Harner, U

Discussion:  Harner, reference research tools for relevant cognate areas

 

Wed., 10/17

 

Field Trip:  Taylor Library, Iliff School of Theology, http://library.ilifff.edu/

Guest Faculty:  Marshall Eidson, Taylor Library, 303-765-3179

 

Assignment #6, due 10/22

 

Part 1:  Choose either a related genre, period, or theme that is relevant to your project and compile a list of 5 citations to works within that context.  Annotate at least one citation.

 

Part 2:  Choose a related field that is relevant to your project and compile a list of 5 citations to works in that discipline.  Annotate at least one citation.

 

Part 3:  Explain your choice of either genre, period, or theme.

 

Part 4:  Explain your choice of cognate area.

 

NOTE:  You will respectively include these lists and annotations, from parts 1 & 2 above, as section 4 & 5 of your compete bibliography.

 

Week 7:  BIOGRAPHICAL CONTEXTS AND Microforms

 

Mon., 10/22

 

Assignment Due:  #6

Reading:  Harner, J

Discussion:  Harner, Dictionary of Literary Biography, Dictionary of National Biography, Dictionary of American Biography, interviews, obituaries.

 

Wed., 10/24

 

Reading:  Harner, all entries in the subject index for “microfiche,” “microfilm,” and “microform.”

Discussion:  Harner, Penrose periodical and manuscript collections in microform, McNees and archival research in the UK.

 

Assignment #7, due 10/29

 

Part 1:  Research relevant manuscripts for your topic and find their locations.

 

Part 2:  Write a proposal (1-2 pages) for a research grant.  Undergraduates will complete a proposal for a PINS project (http://www.du.edu/car/pins/)  and graduate students will create a mock proposal for a graduate travel research grant.

 

Part 3:  Compose a request for access to a manuscript collection at one of the institutions you located in Part 1 above.

 

NOTE:  This seventh short assignment contributes directly to your annotated critical bibliography, especially section 1.

 

Week 8:  Independent Research/Individual Tutorials

 

Mon., 10/29    Meet in Penrose Library, Main Level

 

Assignment Due:  #7

 

Wed., 10/31    Meet in Penrose Library, Main Level

 

Week 9:  Independent Research/Individual Tutorials

 

Mon., 11/5    Meet in Penrose Library, Main Level

 

Wed., 11/7    Meet in Penrose Library, Main Level

 

Week 10:  Presentations

 

Mon., 11/12   Presentations

 

Wed., 11/14   Presentations

 

Friday, 11/ 16:  Final Project Due by 4 pm, in Professor McNees’ mail box located in the main English Department Office, 495 Sturm Hall