Research Project



PART 1:
Due: around 6 December (precise date to be determined)
Length: 10-12 pages
Task: Select a small but well-defined topic involving our theme of texts and communication.

Examples:

• a single Renaissance author, e.g. Machiavelli, Luther, etc.
• a single Renaissance text (Alternatively, you might choose a different sort of text that was important in the era of the Renaissance and Reformation: e.g. the Bible; a text from Classical Antiquity, etc.)
• a single genre of the Renaissance, e.g. the sonnet; the dialogue; the broadside, etc.

Analyze it as thoroughly as you can in the framework of the "history of the book." What you are producing is a case study that will be manageable, and yet have wider implications.

Think, on the one hand, of the circuit of communication,and on the other, of the larger questions of social and intellectual history raised in our readings.

Among the questions you may wish to consider:
How does it reflect general conditions of the era? To what degree is it unusual or distinctive? What was its legacy or enduring significance?

PART 2:

(a) This academic research paper will in turn furnish the subject that will inspire your book-arts project.
(b) In consultation with your internet team, find a way to integrate the results of your research into one or more of the three class web pages that we are building.

SCHEDULE:

11 October:

Turn in preliminary topic:
Provide instructor (via e-mail) with at least two possible research topics (at least one drawn from material covered in the first half of the semester, at least one from the second).

At this point, these can be fairly vague ideas, stated very briefly: e.g., "I would like to write about Machiavelli," or "I would like to study Luther's translation of the bible," or I am interested in learning more about typography."

Obviously, the more specific you can be as early as possible, the better for both teacher and student.

I'll send you feedback via e-mail. Use the next week to develop your ideas.

Reminder: You should be planning your research paper proposal and the studio "book project" in tandem. The "book project proposal" is due on the same day.

18 October:

Turn in refined proposal (1)

Narrow your focus to a single topic, and produce a brief proposal (a couple of paragraphs should suffice at this point).

In order to ensure that your proposed project satisfies you, makes sense to others, and is practical, you should address at least the following four questions in a sentence or two each:

• What attracts you to this topic?
• Why is it intrinsically important?
• How does it relate to the larger concerns of the course: European history in the early modern era, and the study of texts and communication?
• How do you think you might best go about researching it? That is, what kinds of sources would be necessary? What kinds are you likely to find (i.e., physically accessible, in a language you can understand, etc.)?

Things will change in the coming weeks, but the important thing is that you will have made a choice and will be on your way to developing a plan.

25 October

Turn in refined proposal (2) with preliminary bibliography

—Write a page or so (more if you wish) explaining the topic and how you now plan to treat it. (Hint: Continue to bear in mind the need to explain: Why is it intrinsically important? What are its broader implications, e.g., for the study of the Renaissance era or the study of history, as such?)

—List, in a bibliography with full publication data and proper format (Chicago Style, as described in the Pocket Style Manual), the sources that you have already identified as useful. Begin by listing as many relevant titles (print and electronic) as possible from the assigned course readings. (In the case of Wilcox and Bartlett, don't just list the book title; rather, cite specific sections or documents.)

Note: You don't have to have done all of these readings yet, but you should at the least have a rough idea of their content.

—Briefly discuss the value and limitations of these sources, as well as the steps you propose to take in order to locate more.

Reminder: You should continue to plan your research paper proposal and the studio "book project" in tandem. The book model is due on the same day.

8 November

Turn in research paper outline

—What's it about? Your paper should now have a definite title.

—The title should reflect the argument. Provide a brief synopsis (a paragraph is fine) of the interpretation that you are trying to advance.

—Provide an outline of the paper. That is, provide some specifics (a phrase or a sentence or two) for each section, making sure that they indicate how the argument evolves.

Note: Naturally, things still may (and probably should) change as the semester continues. The point of working from a plan is that you will know that things are changing and be forced to explain and justify them to yourself.

22 November

Turn in draft of paper.

A draft means a complete draft: Title page; complete text (full sentences, good grammar—the works), proper reference format.

This may be an ambitious deadline, but it can at least serve as a marker or signpost: This way, you will know whether you are on or behind schedule.

If you manage to turn in a draft by this time, I promise to get you some sort of feedback before Thanksgiving break. If not, I will do my best to provide you with interim feedback later, but I cannot guarantee it.

6 December

Turn in completed research paper.

13 December

NOTE: The deadline has been extended. You may turn in research papers along with your retrospective essay and portfolio on this day. If you for some reason have not completed your work, you will need to request an incomplete.

Note regarding incompletes: An incomplete is not a sign of failure. Rather, it represents a means of protection for both faculty and student. It signals that both of us in fact expect the work to be completed, which means that I agree to evaluate it. Once you have made up the work, all reference to the incomplete disappears from your record.

Please note, however, that College policy requires all incompletes to be made up in the term following the end of the course. Note, further: Administratively, an incomplete from the fall semester that remains open by mid-January will trigger a mandatory meeting between student and a representative of the Advising Office (CASA). The purpose of said meeting is to draw up a planning contract that can facilitate completion of the old work without jeopardizing performance in spring courses. (Consult the student handbook for details.)