ENGL 402 - Research Methods in Pre-1800 British Literature

(3 credits)
Prerequisite: ENGL 203 and ENGL 223
This course teaches English majors the research methods used to produce written arguments about literature. Students explore critical theories and methods of research used by scholars in the field and begin to use them in their own scholarship. Through engagement with a variety of secondary sources, including literary criticism, literary theory and/or history, students will contextualize and better understand primary texts on a topic in pre-1800 British literature. Students learn how to enter the scholarly conversations at the heart of literary studies, and as they engage in their own research projects, they will begin to learn the ethics and practices central to the creation of knowledge in the field. Offered annually.