Background:
Each student has been assigned a research colleague and a corresponding work that will form their focus for this project. Consult the week 2 overview for additional details on these teams.Purpose:
The aim of this project is to learn more about the context behind the works we're reading. Results from this preliminary research will be compiled in a shared Google document before departure and will be presented to the class on the day we discuss the work in London.Requirements:
Consider the following points while building your profile of the work.
- creative forces: who is the author and what do we know of him/her? what about the editor? illustrator?
- publication details: publication date, location, information about the publisher, subsequent editions, etc.
- material considerations: consider size, paper, decorations, illustrations, etc. what did the work look like when it was initially published? keep in mind that bindings we find on books from the c18 and c19 might not necessarily be original to the volume.
- contemporary reviews and responses: how was it received by the reading public?
- cultural context: what else was happening in London/England/the world at the time of publication?
- modern criticism: who's talking about the work in our current critical environment?
Also prepare a collection of 7-10 questions to ask class about the work to generate conversation in London.
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| Look for the search window on the British Museum page. |
A good first step is to search the title of the work in a few reliable Galileo databases, like JSTOR, ProQuest, and the MLA International Bibliography. Search your local library catalog along with the broader GIL-Universal. See if you can request or view (depending on where you live) a copy of the work through WorldCat. Act quickly, however, as these requests take time. Even though your research aims to uncover details from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, more recent critical articles will also prove instructive; they often include historical details and references to original publication.
You might find helpful some of the following links:
- British Library Public Catalog: this catalog will help you identify subsequent editions and those printed in different cities.
- British Museum archive: search the title of the work and/or that of the author or illustrator to see other work they've produced.
- other library catalogs, such as the New York Public Library and the Library of Congress
Please resist simply googling the title of the work. This method does not equate to viable academic research.Assessment:
This assignment has two distinct parts: the first, an information-gathering period before departure to London; the second, an in-class presentation reflecting the results of that research.
Follow the instructions in the week 2 overview to create a shared document between your team and me. Take good notes as you work through the list of requirements, thinking all the while about what kinds of things you find pertinent when discussing literature. The first checkpoint will simply assess whether you and your partner have assembled a good starting point of information; I'll be looking for notes and/or an outline, not an essay.
The second assessment (worth the remaining 10 points) will appear in London, where research colleagues will be responsible for leading the class discussion for at least part of the day we discuss the work they've researched. I will model the type of presentation in our discussion of William Hogarth on 2 July. Requirements as follows:
- digital "handout" of key points (shared through google drive)
- 7-10 discussion questions
- attention to content requirements indicated above
- clear evidence of shared responsibility
- discussion that consumes at least 20 minutes of the class
