English 200 - Fall, 2011

Introduction to Graduate Studies in English

Class Information

Instructor: Hsu, Hsuan L.
CRN: 62613
Time: T 3:10-6:00
Location: 120 Voorhies

Description

This seminar introduces Ph.D. students to graduate study in English by focusing on methods and methodological debates in literary study. The aim of this course is to prepare new students for advanced work in the field and to orient them in the profession. We will do this by considering how to integrate the close analysis of literary texts with different research methods and theoretical debates. You will complete weekly research assignments on a primary text of your choice. In order to provide perspective on your research, we will read and discuss works that exemplify and/or question some important research methods and debates in literary studies. Occasional faculty visitors will supplement our readings by sharing their own thinking about these developments. Topics and weekly research assignments will include manuscript study, book history, reception, genre, historical context, intertextuality, and theoretical perspectives. In addition to completing short weekly research papers on these topics in relation to your primary text, you will also develop an 8-page research paper that integrates this research and crystallizes your ideas about the primary text.

Grading

ASSIGNMENTS: in-class presentations (30%); eight 2-page papers based on weekly research assignments (30%); 7-page research paper due at end of term (40%).