ENGL 103 B27: Case Studies in Research: English Studies in the Digital Age

M. Cormier

Students in this course will learn research-based reading and writing practices as they study the interdisciplinary ways in which English studies have evolved during the digital age. Featuring guest speakers and visits to the University of Alberta’s Digital Scholarship Centre, if possible, this course will engage students in research on topic modules including social media and representation, book history and library sciences, as well as data analysis and visualization, among others. Furthermore, it will devote a significant amount of class time to teaching the critical reading skills necessary to conduct research at the postsecondary level, while also dedicating classes to the instruction of direct and effective writing with the aim of communicating original scholarship. Evaluations for this course will comprise a number of blog-style responses to assigned readings and class discussions as well as a creative assignment that relates to the course material in addition to a proposal and annotated bibliography that will lay the groundwork for students’ research papers, which will serve as a final examination for the course (the course has no final exam).