“Analytical reading & interpretation
of published research & criticism, its assumptions,
trends, controversies; course will identify & contextualize
present opportunities for research in field. Required
for Ph.D.s specializing in Division II.”
This seminar is designed to prepare doctoral
candidates for the prospectus, dissertation, and the
profession generally. We will begin by examining the
rhetorical practices of literary scholarship over the
past 50 years; we will interrogate current practices
and “controversies” of what is clearly
a field-in-crisis; and we will examine ways by which
young scholars locate their work in English Studies.
As a sidebar, we will discuss ethics and professional
behavior in the classroom, university, and academia
generally. There will be little lecture—“workshop” will
be the more accurate term—and there will be significant
collaborative work, the products of which will be available
to all students on WebVista.
Our work will center around analysis of the
field, sub-fields of student research and will result
in the production of substantive documents in a final
portfolio: conference paper (proposal and paper); examination
rationale and reading lists, and a dissertation prospectus.
While these are the docuements of the portfolio, substantial
other work will be submitted along the way for all
to see and share in Vista. This work will form the
foundation upon which the portfolio is built.
The sessions, as noted above,
will be more "workshop" than lecture. In
the first 50 minutes each week, we will discuss the
analytical work and document production tasks. In the
second 50 minutes, we will discuss the history of the
discipline and the contemporary issues that make this
a field-in-crisis. In the last 50 minutes, we'll discuss
practical matters pertaining to professional practices.
Methods in the Study of Literature is a doctoral seminar to prepare students
for key tasks in their graduate careers and early professional careers. Our
focus will be on the production of a portfolio of documents: a conference paper
proposal; an examination rationale and reading list; and a dissertation prospectus.
Underlying all of these documents are tasks with which you may or may not be
familiar, but that are critical to your success as a scholar and critic:
Identifying research questions, contextualizing your work,
Developing methods and evidence relevant to your study, and
Developing a coherent vision for your work.
Our primary goal, then, is to become competent
in these tasks. You will demonstrate that competence
in the seminar-long construction and revision of the
three portfolio documents. A secondary goal is for
participants to become more familiar with the
history of English Studies as an academic discipline,
to become conversant in the major issues of
the discipline, and to gain some awareness
of the challenges that face English Studies in the
contemporary college and university environment.
Seminar participants will present critical summaries
and conduct discussions (online and in class) on a
variety of issues based in readings provided by the
instructor. Another secondary goal is for participants
to develop in-depth and informed knowledge
upon which they can debate the professional practices
within the discipline.
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Texts:
Steven Cahn. Saints and Scamps: Ethics in Academia. Littlefield
Gibaldi. Introduction to Scholarship in Modern Languages and Literatures.
MLA
Gibaldi. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, Sixth Edition.
MLA
Graff. Professing Literature. U Chicago P
Harner. Literary Research. MLA
Bill Readings, The University in Ruins. Harvard UP
Deneef and Goodwin. The
Academic’s Handbook. Duke
UP
Toth. Impeccable Advice for Women in Academia. U Penn P
Goldsmith, et al. The Chicago Guide to Your Academic Career. U Chicago
P
Online materials on WebCT Vista; secondary critical
materials from Ohiolink and Kentlink.
Requirements, etc.:
Portfolio (60% of grade): conference paper proposal and paper (15%);
examination rational and reading lists (15%); dissertation prospectus
(30%). Presentations: 20%. All other interim tasks: 20%.
Policies: This is a scaffolded seminar: we will
proceed through tasks that increase in difficulty and duration--and,
of course, there are many tasks. Every task has a couple qualities:
one is that it is pedagogically significant; another is that it
is potentially all-consuming. Your job will be to do as fine a
job as you can under the time restrictions under which we all live.
While the seminar grade will depend primarily on the portfolio,
all tasks will be assessed as being on time and completed in a
satisfactory or better manner. All work must be completed on time;
if work is not completed in a satisfactory manner, I will request
that it be revised and resubmitted.
We will also read and discuss the "Professional Ethics" section
of the University Policy Manual. We will conduct ourselves according
to its principles. University policy 3342-3-18 requires that students
with disabilities be provided reasonable accommodations to ensure
their equal access to course content. If you have a documented disability
and require accommodations, please contact the instructor at the
beginning of the semester to make arrangements for necessary classroom
adjustments. Please note, you must first verify your eligibility
for these through Student Disability Services (contact 330-672-3391
or visit www.kent.edu/sds for more information on registration procedures).
Office & Hours: I am available by appointment
and will be in my office (209d SFH) for consultation before & after
class for 30 minutes. I will be available on WebCT Vista off&on
during the day and evening, and I encourage you to contact me via
email at raymond.craig@kent.edu for questions and to arrange for
longer consultations. My phone number is 672-1741. Leave voice
mail messages at the same number.
You will be using Web Vista at vista.kent.edu. Use your Kent State
userid and password for access.
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