Mastering Research Methods (seminar)

For more past programming from the Folger Institute, please see the article Folger Institute scholarly programs archive.

This article combines spring Masters' seminars entitled Mastering Research Methods, Mastering Research Methods at the Folger, and Mastering Research at the Folger. Although the titles differ, the substance of each seminar was the same. Seminars were held in 2012, 2011, 2010, and 2009.

2012

This iteration of the spring Masters' seminar was led by Natasha Korda.

This seminar illustrated and exemplified graduate-level work in the humanities, introducing first-year graduate students to the tools of research in early modern studies through a semester-long immersion in one of the world’s major Renaissance collections. Representative fields and approaches addressed included various forms of historiography (theatrical, cultural, social, and political), the book as a material object, the visual analysis of images, manuscript studies, and editorial practice. Participants developed their research skills through a series of exercises linked to the strengths and ranges of the collection and current trends and debates in scholarship. They developed potential research projects; identified and sharpened theses and hypotheses; and engaged with the varieties of expertise found in the scholarly community at the Folger Shakespeare Library, including those of fellows and professional staff. Each student assembled a portfolio of exercises throughout the term, with shared copies of all so that students were prepared for further graduate work with a broad-based sourcebook for early modern studies.

Director: Natasha Korda is Professor of English and Chair (2009-11) of Feminist, Gender and Sexuality Studies at Wesleyan University. She is the author of Shakespeare’s Domestic Economies: Gender and Property in Early Modern England (2002) and Labors Lost: Women’s Work and the Early Modern English Stage (2011), and several co-edited volumes of essays.

2011

This iteration of the spring Masters' seminar was led by Robert Matz.

This seminar illustrated and exemplified graduate-level work in the humanities, introducing first-year graduate students to the tools of research in early modern studies through a semester-long immersion in one of the world’s major Renaissance collections. Representative fields and approaches addressed included the history of the book, the visual analysis of images, manuscript studies, editorial practice, and various forms of historiography (theatrical, cultural, social, and political). Participants developed their research skills through a series of exercises linked to the strengths and ranges of the collection and current trends and debates in scholarship. They developed potential research projects; identified and sharpened theses and hypotheses; and engaged with the varieties of expertise found in the scholarly community at the Folger Shakespeare Library, including those of fellows and professional staff. Each student assembled a portfolio of exercises throughout the term, with shared copies of all so that students are prepared for further graduate work with a broad-based sourcebook for early modern studies.

Director: Robert Matz is Associate Professor and Chair of English at George Mason University. He is the author of The World of Shakespeare’s Sonnets: An Introduction (2008) and Defending Literature in Early Modern England: Renaissance Literary Theory in Social Context (2000). He is currently preparing an edition of two early modern marriage manuals.

2010

This iteration of the Masters' seminar was led by Jesse Lander.

This seminar illustrated and exemplified graduate-level work in the humanities, introducing first-year graduate students to the tools of research in early modern studies through a semester-long immersion in one of the world’s major Renaissance collections. Representative fields and approaches addressed included the history of the book, the visual analysis of images, manuscript studies, editorial practice, and various forms of historiography (theatrical, cultural, social, and political). Participants developed their research skills through a series of exercises linked to the strengths and ranges of the collection and current trends and debates in scholarship. They developed potential research projects; identified and sharpened theses and hypotheses; and engaged with the variety of expertises in the scholarly community at the Folger Shakespeare Library, including those of fellows and professional staff. Each student assembled a portfolio of exercises throughout the term, with shared copies of all so that students are prepared for further graduate work with a broad-based sourcebook for early modern studies.

Director: Jesse Lander is Associate Professor of English at the University of Notre Dame. He is the author of Inventing Polemic: Religion, Print, and Literary Culture in Early Modern England (2006) and editor of Macbeth (2007). His current book project is provisionally entitled “‘They Say That Miracles Are Past’: Staging the Supernatural in Shakespeare’s England.”

2009

This iteration of the Masters' seminar was led by Zachary Lesser.

This seminar illustrated and exemplified graduate-level work in the humanities, introducing first-year graduate students to the tools of research in early modern studies through a semester-long immersion in one of the world’s major Renaissance collections. Representative fields and approaches addressed included the history of the physical book, the visual analysis of images, manuscript studies, and various forms of historiography (theatrical, cultural, social, and political). Working with archival materials and major scholarly reference works, participants developed their research skills through a series of exercises linked to their individual interests, the strengths and ranges of the collection, and current trends and debates in scholarship. They developed critical reading skills; identified and sharpened theses and hypotheses; and engaged with the variety of expertises in the scholarly community at the Folger Shakespeare Library, including those of fellows and professional staff. The seminar was tailored to the resources of the Folger’s research collections, but assignments will directed participants to investigate and evaluate the holdings and reference materials available on their home campuses and online. Each student assembled a portfolio of research exercises, analyses of sources, and formulations of projects. Copies of all portfolios were shared so that students are prepared for further graduate work with a broad-based sourcebook for early modern studies. Applicants described briefly their ambitions for graduate study and indicated their understanding of the role of research in those studies. Examples were drawn from their undergraduate courses as well as from their first semester graduate courses.

Director: Zachary Lesser is Assistant Professor of English at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of Renaissance Drama and the Politics of Publication: Readings in the English Book Trade (2004), and the co-creator (with Alan Farmer) of DEEP: Database of Early English Playbooks. He is currently working on a book on print and popularity in Shakespeare’s England.