English BC3997x sec. 4
Fall 2003
Gordis

All of you are well on your way toward interesting theses. The next step in the process is the preparation of a prospectus. As you’ll see below, you’ve been assembling some of its elements over the last few weeks. Other elements will push you further toward your thesis.

A. A statement of your topic. This should be an updated version of the statement you’ve already given me. Indicate in a few paragraphs the current version of your topic. What do you plan to write about? What approach do you plan to take? Which major texts do you plan to use?

B. A preliminary literature review. Again, this is an updated version of the annotated bibliography that is due October 17. Note any new items you’ve found. Is one critic’s approach proving to be especially influential? Have a critic’s footnotes sent you in new and useful directions?

C. A tentative structure. How do you plan to organize your project? This probably won't be a detailed outline at this point; a few paragraphs summarizing the probable structure of your essay will suffice. But you should at least lay out the sections into which you anticipate dividing your essay.

D. Two to three pages of sample text. Work at your argument a bit. If you know that you're writing on Warner, do a close reading of a section of the text that you plan to use. Or respond to a critic you've read. You may end up throwing out this material, and it can be very rough. But writing this section will at least get you past the blank screen syndrome, which can be especially plaguesome to thesis writers.

E. Problems and questions that occupy you at this point. Try to pinpoint the next steps you're planning to take and the questions that most immediately concern you.

The prospectus is due on Thursday, November 6, by 5 pm in my box in Barnard 417.

GENERAL INFORMATION:

All papers should be typed double-spaced on white paper in standard fonts. They must be in MLA format, which is described in The Borzoi Handbook, The MLA Handbook, and the English department guide to the preparation of papers, available from Ms. Kononvaloff. It should go without saying that you're operating under the Honor Code. Sometimes, of course, issues of citation are confusing, so by all means see me if you're not sure how to acknowledge a source properly. And when in doubt, acknowledge.

RESEARCH TIPS:

Many of you are new to nineteenth-century American subjects, and to the relevant research materials. As you do your research, you may wish to consult the MLA bibliography and the Humanities Index, both available through CLIO Plus. Also relevant is American Literary Scholarship, an annual guide to research on American literature. You may also want to explore some of the resources available on the web; see my website page of useful resources in American literature and culture for details. The "American Memory" collection at the Smithsonian may be especially useful if you’re doing work that crosses disciplinary boundaries. Many nineteenth-century periodicals are available on microfilm, in a collection called the American Periodical Series. It’s available in the microfilm room at Butler. It also has a useful index of periodicals by subject and by title. And don't forget that it can be very useful to follow the research trails of scholars whose work interests you. Follow up on footnotes that refer to other books and articles, and use the lists of works cited in the various texts for the course.

You may also be interested in using Endnote software to manage your research materials.  See http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/help/howto/endnote/ for information and for a free software download.