Critical Exercises 1 and 2

English 608                                                                                                     Klimasmith

Introduction to Critical and Research Methods

Critical Exercises 1 and 2

These exercises are linked, so it may make sense for you to do them at the same time, or at least to be thinking about the journal you’ll choose for CE2 while you are working on CE1.

Exercise One:

1)    Using the UMB English Department’s website’s faculty page (http://www.umb.edu/academics/cla/english/faculty) make a list of the specialties (areas of expertise within English Studies) in which our faculty work, and list each faculty member’s name in every appropriate category.  Which of these fall under the national boundaries of British or American literature?  What other categories seem significant? 

2)    What are the period boundaries in chronological order for British literature and American literature? Using the British/American list from answer #1, put these periods in chronological order.  When do the British and American fields connect or overlap?  Use any resources you like--one very helpful volume is James Harner’s Literary Research Guide (On reserve at Healey and in my faculty mailbox for use in the Commons or Grad Lounge ONLY. If you are using my copy, please sign it out on the sheet in my box and cross your name off when you return it.)

3)    Using your specialties list from #1, list major journals in each specialty that you see as falling under “English Studies.” Again, use whatever resources you choose.

4)    Back to the specialties list.  What kinds of interdisciplinary fields intersect with literary studies?  What interdisciplinary journals might be likely to publish work that relies in part on English studies?

5)    Choose three journals you’d consider using for CE2.   I’d prefer that there not be a lot of duplication, so I may ask you to choose one or another of your favorites.

6)    Write a short (1-2 paragraph) reflection on the field(s) that you find most interesting, compelling, or useful to you as you begin your graduate studies. What draws you to this field? What do you hope to learn through your focus?

Please email your response to me by midnight on Tuesday, September 9,  and bring your response to class on September 11.

 

Exercise Two:

To complete this assignment, you’ll need to look at actual physical copies of literary journals. You can do this in the Periodicals Room of Healey Library or another university library (your Boston Library Consortium card gives you access to many university libraries in the area).  Please plan accordingly.

Go back to the list you compiled for last week’s exercise, and choose one of the journals you defined as “major” for a literary period, genre, or discipline that interests you.   Please do not use an “interdisciplinary” journal.

Locate the journal both in the Periodicals Room and in the library stacks. Flip through current issues and the bound volumes of back issues.  Go back at least twenty years, and get a sense for whether and how the journal has evolved by examining issues from at least three different points in time.  Take notes on the developments you discern, especially in terms of the kinds of articles published by the journal.

1) Type up a quick outline of your findings to share with the class and with me.  You can bring copies of your outline for the class, or if you email the outline to me by noon on the 18th I will copy and distribute it to the class.

As you peruse your journal, choose one article of at least fifteen pages in length. Copy it for yourself and bring the copy with you to class on September 18th. If the journal provides abstracts of its articles, make sure to copy the abstract for the article you have chosen.

2) Now type up a brief evaluation of the article, comprising an accurate bibliographical entry for the article in MLA style, and a substantial paragraph (at least 300 words) that responds to the following questions:

·      How does the author frame his/her critical task at the beginning of the article? In other words, what will the author argue, and what will it contribute to the field?

·      How does the author situate his or her task within the concerns of the journal’s specific field? What can we learn about the audience for the journal based on the way in which the author presents his or her argument

·      Describe the structure of the argument.  What forms of argumentation and rhetorical moves does it deploy? How would you describe the tone of the prose?

Please email your response to me by midnight on Tuesday, September 16,  and bring your response to class on September 18.  Please submit one copy of the article and analysis to me, and bring enough copies of the journal outline for everyone in the class (including me!).