SYLLABUS EN 475 SEMINAR IN ENGLISH FALL 2012 9 a.m. MW 2 cr. hrs.

COURSE DESCRIPTION A capstone course for English majors. Students practice techniques of literary research and analysis and produce a major project demonstrating competencies in speech, writing, and information literacy. COURSE CONTENT Students will practice literary research and analysis while undertaking a substantial research project. By the end of the semester, students will have completed, as a minimum, (1) a critical history (that is, a bibliographical essay) on a literary question of their choice and (2) a prospectus for a critical essay. Students usually work through interterm and/or spring semester to complete a required critical essay. A public presentation caps off the project. REQUIREMENTS MET EN 475A is required for all English majors. It also fulfills one Language Intensive credit. TEXTS MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 7th ed. New York: Modern Language Association of America, 2009. Required. Harner, James L. Literary Research Guide: An Annotated Listing of Reference Sources in English Literary Studies. 5th ed. New York: MLA, 2008. Recommended. Copy available for reference in Miller Library. STATEMENT OF OUTCOMES & INDICATORS Upon completion of the course, you will have a body of work (bibliographies, critical history, and critical essay) that demonstrates 1. A broad acquaintance with the range of critical questions raised by the work(s) of your choice. 2. Your ability to use the tools and methods of literary scholarship to carry out a literary research project. 3. Your ability to write a literate, thoroughly informed critical essay that honors the conventions of the discipline. 4. A close acquaintance with an author of your choice and familiarity with the historical contexts, textual nuances and critical history of a one or more of his/her significant works. 5. Your ability to adapt complex critical ideas from the essay for oral presentation to a lay audience. Prof. Bruce Clary Office: Mohler 201 claryb@mcpherson.edu

2 COURSE STRUCTURE & REQUIREMENTS

EN 475A Seminar in English

We will meet twice a week until class members have completed a working bibliography and an adequate number of abstracts. After that point, we may meet periodically as a group, but most work will be done in individual conferences. Satisfactory completion of the seminar requires four significant pieces of work: 1. 2. 3. 4. A reasonably comprehensive working bibliography focused on your working thesis. A 2,000-plus word critical history of your topic. A critical essay of 5,000-plus words. A 20-minute public presentation of your thesis, followed by a question and answer session.

EVALUATION OF STUDENT LEARNING Upon completion of the public presentation and submission of your final critical essay, we will review your research process, your critical history, critical essay, and public presentation and mutually determine which of the following marks, as defined in the McPherson College Catalog, best describes your work on this project: A high honor (reserved for very distinguished work) B very good work of much more than average quality C work of good average quality D work of the lowest quality that will enable the student to meet the standards of McPherson College F work that does not meet the standards of McPherson College. CREATIVE ALTERNATIVE The English Department does occasionally allow students to substitute a creative project for the critical essay. This exception is reserved for majors with a strong commitment to their writing as exhibited by previous completion of a substantial body of mature, creative work of good quality. If you are interested in pursuing the creative writing option for this course, please see me about requirements for approval. Students considering this option should know that the creative alternative does not exempt them from learning and practicing the techniques of literary research. Those undertaking a creative project as the culminating piece of the seminar are still required to complete a working bibliography and critical history for an area relevant to the creative work.

EN 475A Seminar in English TWO-SEMESTER SCHEDULE FOR COMPLETION OF THE SENIOR PROJECT Aug. 29 Aug. 31 Sept. 5 Sept. 7 Sept. 12 Sept. 14 Sept. 19 Sept. 21 Sept. 26 Sept. 28 Sept. 29 Oct. 3 Oct. 5 Oct. 10 Oct. 12 Oct. 17 Oct. 19 Oct. 24 Oct. 26 Oct. 31 Nov. 2 Nov. 7 Nov. 9 Nov. 14 Nov. 16 Nov. 28 Nov. 30 Dec. 5 Dec. 7 Dec. 14

Intro to course; discussion of research interests Intro to resources; qualities of a good research question Due: (1) Tentative research question (2) Working bibliography of general resource materials on your author and work Due: Working bibliography of secondary materials available in Miller Library; Topic: writing the abstract Due: Abstract of assigned critical essay Due: Abstracts of two resource materials on your work Assessment DayNo Class Individual conferences in library Topics: Working bibliography, research question Individual conferences in library Topics: Working bibliography, research question Due: Abstracts of two secondary resources relevant to your focus; Topics: writing the critical history; note-taking methods Due: Abstracts of two secondary resources relevant to your focus Topic: quoting and citing sources Due: 250-word progress report on working thesis Due: Working bibliography with WSU call numbers Research trip to WSU; leave McPherson at 12:30 p.m. Fall BreakNo Class Due: Abstracts of two new articles Due: 250-word preliminary abstract of critical history Meet as needed Individual conferences Topic: Preliminary critical history abstracts Individual conferences Due: 250-word progress report on critical essay thesis Individual conferences Due: 250-word progress report on critical essay thesis Individual conferences Due: Draft introduction to critical essay Individual conferences Due: Draft introduction to critical essay Meet as needed Meet as needed Meet as needed Due: Complete draft of critical history Critical history conferences Critical history conferences Due: Revised critical history