ENGL 7760

This course is designed to help you develop research skills and to guide you in the formulation of an extended research project. Using our class discussions and shared readings as a launching point, throughout the semester you will research your own topic related to early American women writers. You will share your knowledge with the class through both written and oral presentations. The final assignment is a twenty-five page seminar paper of “publishable quality” that draws on the research you have been doing throughout the semester.

The texts in this course are primarily (but not exclusively) from New England; they present us with a sampling of the variety of forms of written expression used by early American women. We will examine works ranging from court testimony to letters, autobiographies, poems, novels, etc. Our point is not to argue about their individual literary merits, but rather to explore and interpret the various meanings available to us through these texts. As we survey this material, we will formulate questions for ourselves about the nature and politics of gender, race, identity, and expression, using relevant critical and theoretical materials to complement our close readings of primary texts.

The two primary emphases of this course will be discussion of common texts and independent research. We will meet each week to discuss a series of texts that illuminate a particular issue in the study of early American women; you will use these discussions to identify your own area of interest. Each student will do teaching presentations in class—one on an object, the other on a text (see attached description). In addition, you can expect to do one or two less formal class presentations throughout the semester. These will feed into your final project: a “publication-quality” final essay (25 pages; see attached description). You should feel free to talk with me at any point if you have questions or concerns about any of the assignments, and we MUST meet early in the semester to discuss your particular final project ideas.

This is a graduate class and you are on a professional career path; you are expected, therefore, to act like a professional. You must hand in all assignments on time to pass the course. You are also expected to attend every class; any unexcused absences will drop your final grade by a full letter grade.

Please feel free to stop by after class or in my office hours to discuss any learning disabilities, physical disabilities, or special circumstances of which you feel I should be aware.

Week One: (August 23) Introduction (meet in classroom; go to RBD Library at 10:30)

§ *Article: E. Jennifer Monaghan, “Literacy Instruction and Gender in Colonial New England” in Reading in America, ed. Cathy Davidson

§ *John Winthrop, “A Short Story of the Rise, Reign, and Ruine of the Antinomians, Familists & Libertines” (excerpts)

§ *Article: Ann Kibbey, from The Interpretation of Material Shapes in Puritanism: A Study of Rhetoric, Prejudice, and Violence.

Browse the entire site for context, then read “Letter from Abigail Adams to John Adams, 31 March - 5 April 1776;” “Letter from John Adams to Abigail Adams, 14 April 1776;” “Letter from Abigail Adams to John Adams, 7 - 9 May 1776 ;” “Letter from Abigail Adams to John Adams, 9 May 1776 ;” read surrounding letters for context

CLASS ASSIGNMENTS

TEACHING NOTES AND HANDOUTS

PRESENTATIONS:

This semester you will produce two sets of “teaching notes” that you will share with the rest of the class: one on an object relevant to the study of early American women, and the other a short text that we are not reading together as a class. Remember that the point of these presentations is to introduce other members of the class to materials with which they are not familiar, and to give them a sense of how the materials you have examined are important and can be taught to undergraduates. Plan to spend no more than 8-10 minutes for each presentation.

HANDOUT: (Remember to bring 14 copies to class.)

Depending on the topic you have chosen, you will want to focus on very different things. I will leave it up to each person to decide what to stress most in his/her particular handout. At a minimum, however, you must address the following:

Ø A description of the object/text in question and its basic function.

Ø Names and dates of key figures related to the text/object. This may also involve a general chronology if you are focusing on a text or object that changed over time.

Ø Historical context. A few paragraphs on the context of your topic; background history, contemporary political issues that might relate, etc. Use your judgment about what would be useful.

Ø Annotated list of primary texts related to your topic. Be sure to give a clear sense of how we know what we know; in other words, are these reliable sources? What is missing? What do they present?

Ø Annotated list of crucial secondary sources. These may include web sites. Remember that these are TEACHING NOTES; don’t recommend huge volumes of material, but sources that provide accessible, manageable approaches to the material or perhaps new and interesting perspectives on old approaches. Think in terms of 3-5 articles, books, or web sites.

Ø Recurring themes or issues. What are some of the main points of interest? Try to include some relevant quotes from your primary sources so that we can get the flavor of this material.

Ø Recommended audience. In what kind of course might you teach this? Why? What are the limitations/strengths of this material? Who would find this appealing? Why?

Try to keep this handout compact, focused, and easy to read. Aim for no more than 2 front-and-back pages, less if you can manage it.

“PUBLISHABLE-QUALITY” FINAL PAPER AND CONFERENCE PRESENTATION

One of the primary goals of this class is to give you the opportunity do the research and writing that goes into a publishable essay. I do not, of course, expect you to all produce a paper that can instantly be sent out to an academic journal; instead, I want you to think through a project that might eventually turn into a publishable essay. To that end this final project will have two components: the final paper of “publishable quality” and the conference presentation, which is a shortened version of your final paper.

FINAL PAPER:

Length: 25 pages

Content: original.

You should develop a thesis that is an original insight into a topic related to early American women’s writing. Make sure that your original insight is based in a thorough engagement with primary and secondary sources relevant to your topic (see “research” below)

Research: extensive.

Remember that as an academic you are part of a community of scholars. You access their work through their publications, and your own work should be seen as engaging in an on-going conversation with other scholars who share your interests. You should be able to exhibit a mastery of the research relevant to the topic you have chosen, and you should be able to exhibit a clear sense of the most recent directions such scholarship is taking. Be sure to use footnotes to help you indicate the extent of the research you have done.

I have included a list of early American resources with the syllabus. By the end of this class you should be familiar with how to use these resources, and you should expect to use a good many of them in the research for your topic.

CONFERENCE PRESENTATION:

A week before you turn in your final paper you will have an opportunity to present it to the class in our Colonial Women’s Conference (final date TBA). The conference presentations will give you the opportunity to share your research, get feedback on your ideas, and develop your argument clearly and effectively for your final paper. You must turn in a “paper abstract” (500-word description of your paper’s main argument) on November 15; this will allow me to organize the conference and also give you an opportunity to sketch out your paper topic.

A conference presentation should take from 15 to 20 minutes, which is usually about 8-10 typed pages double-spaced. A conference paper is an excellent opportunity to draft out the argument that will be more fully developed in your final paper. Keep in mind that a conference paper is presented orally and is approximately half the length of the final paper; it essentially lays out the core of the argument you will develop in your final paper. We will have plenty of time to discuss this in more depth as the semester progresses.

EARLY AMERICAN RESOURCES

Early American Journals

Early American Literature

William and Mary Quarterly

Early American Studies

Articles also commonly appear in:

New England Quarterly

American Literature

American Quarterly

Early American Research Aids

SELECTED PRINT GUIDES

· INDEXING SOURCES

Evans, Charles, 1850-1935. American bibliography; a chronological dictionary of all books, pamphlets, and periodical publications printed in the United States of America from the genesis of printing in 1639 down to and including the year 1820. With bibliographical and biographical notes.
Mic. & Docs. (1st floor) Lib of Congress Collection
Call Number: Z1215 .E923

Bristol, Roger Pattrell. Supplement to Charles Evans' American bibliography. By Roger P. Bristol.
Mic. & Docs. (1st floor) Lib of Congress Collection

Call Number:Z1215 .E92334

Bristol, Roger Pattrell. Index to Supplement to Charles Evans' American bibliography / By Roger Pattrell Bristol.
Mic. & Docs. (1st floor) Lib of Congress Collection

Call Number:Z1215 .E9334 Index

Newton, Frances P. American bibliography, a preliminary checklist, 1801 to 1819 : Ralph R. Shaw and Richard H. Shoemaker : printers, publishers and booksellers index, geographical index / compiled by Frances P. Newton.
An index to American bibliography, a preliminary checklist, 1801 to 1819 / compiled by Ralph R. Shaw and Richard H. Shoemaker. New York : Scarecrow Press, 1958-1966.
Mic. & Docs. (1st floor) Lib of Congress Collection
Call Number: Z 1215 .N58 1983

Shaw, Ralph R. (Ralph Robert), 1907-1972. : American bibliography; a preliminary checklist for 1801-1819. Compiled by Ralph R. Shaw and Richard H. Shoemaker.
Mic. & Docs. (1st floor) Lib of Congress Collection
Call Number: Z 1215 .S48

Shipton, Clifford Kenyon. National index of American imprints through 1800; the short-title Evans [by] Clifford K. Shipton [and] James E. Mooney.
Mic. & Docs. (1st floor) Lib of Congress Collection
Call Number: Z 1215 .S495

Wright, Lyle Henry. American fiction, 1774-1850: a contribution toward a bibliography, by Lyle H. Wright.
Mic. & Docs. (1st floor) Lib of Congress Collection
Call Number: Z1231.F4 W9 1969 also 1948

· RELATED WORKS

American national biography.
RBD Library (2nd Floor) Reference
Call Number: REF CT 213 .A68 1999

Dictionary of American biography. (DAB)
RBD Library (2nd Floor) Reference
Call Number: REF E176 .D56

The Dictionary of national biography. (DNB)
RBD Library (2nd Floor - Reference)
Call Number: REF DA 28 .D47

· MICROFILM/MICROCARD COLLECTIONS

American fiction, 1774-1900 [microform].
Library Has: 1st-13th (reels 1-390)
Mic. & Docs. (1st floor) Lib of Congress Collection
Call Number: Z 1231 .F4 U5

Early American imprints, 1639-1800 (First Series)
Mic. & Docs. (1st floor) Microcard Collection
Emory U. catalog Euclid contains cataloging for individual titles for this source.

Early American imprints, 1801-1819 (Second Series)
Mic. & Docs. (1st floor) Microcard Collection
AUBIECat contains cataloging for individual titles for this source.

SELECTED WEB DATABASES

America: History and Life

Historical coverage of the United States and Canada from prehistory to the present. Includes information abstracted from over 2000 journals published worldwide. Includes book reviews. From 1964 onward.

Eighteenth Century Collections Online

Eighteenth Century Collections Online provides full text of significant English-language and foreign-language title printed in Great Britain during the eighteenth century, along with thousands of important works from the Americas encompassing the American Revolution, the Industrial Revolution, the French Revolution, and the Age of Reason.

MLA(Modern Language Association International Bibliography)

Produced by the Modern Language Association of America, the MLA International Bibliography indexes critical scholarship on literature, language, linguistics and folklore. Coverage includes journal articles, series, monographs, dissertations, bibliographies, proceedings and other materials. The database includes all records indexed from 1963-Present, approximately 1,200,000 records.

JSTOR

provides access to the backfiles of scholarly publications covering the social sciences, humanities, and sciences. JSTOR includes the full runs of each journal, generally up to 1-7 years from the present. A sophisticated search engine supports full-text and cross-disciplinary searching of the journals and presentation of page images allows viewing of the articles exactly as they appear in print.

Project Muse

(Full-text of over 40 print journals in the humanities, social sciences, and mathematics from the Johns Hopkins University Press covering 1990-present. Includes journals such as Configurations, Diacritics, and The Yale Journal of Criticism.

Women Writers Online

The Brown University Women Writers Project is a long-term research project devoted to early modern women's writing and electronic text encoding. The chief goal of the database is to bring texts by pre-Victorian women writers out of the archive and make them accessible to a wide audience of teachers, students, scholars, and the general reader.