II. METHOD
The Handbook for Independent Study states: "Implicit in every inquiry is a method or plan which includes a logic, a design or a deliberate conception of what is being attempted. The method selected will determine the techniques, devices or tools appropriate for the project." The method includes the specific methodology of the thesis and the development of an appropriate plan of research and study.
Methodology
While a rigid devotion to any one methodology, theory, or
investigative technique is odious, I.S. offers an exceptional
opportunity for you to discover what type of intellectual and/or
creative endeavor you find most compelling. You are free to choose
among a wide variety of accepted approaches to the ancient world,
such as close reading of literary texts, analysis of cultural
practices, and explication of historical events. Ideally, however,
your I.S. will open multiple perspectives on your topic. For example,
an examination of a particular Graeco-Roman deity might consider
both archaeological evidence pertaining to cult sites and key
themes that characterize the divinity's appearances in ancient
texts. A study of the twins and doubles in the plays of Plautus
might not only draw connections between specific passages, but
also explore the ways this theme reflects Roman attitudes towards
twins or illuminates issues of Plautine metatheatricality. Whatever
methodologies you choose, you must indicate them clearly to your
reader in the introductory section of your paper. Failure on the
student's part to articulate and pursue clear goals and methods
is one of the most frequent defects of research papers.
Research
Approximately the first half of the time spent on your I.S. Thesis will be devoted to planning and completing an orderly program of research and study. The purpose of research is two-fold: it provides the information needed to write the paper and the materials necessary for adequate documentation.
Your main task in the preliminary stage of your I.S. Thesis
will be to draw up a detailed working bibliography of the primary
and secondary materials that will form the basis of your research
study. It is also useful to annotate the bibliography by summarizing
the most important points raised in each reading.
Secondary materials should include books and articles that are
as current as possible, though you need to take into account standard
treatments of your subject written by earlier generations of classical
scholars. The primary bibliographical tool for the study of classical
antiquity is L'Année Philologique, an annual publication
which cites all significant books, monographs and articles published
each year from 1924 to the present, arranged by field (e.g. authors
and texts, history, epigraph, etc.). The Année
Philologique on the Internet contains volumes 40 (1969)
to 71 (2000) in an easily searchable form. Please note that it
also contains more recent bibliography than its print counterpart.
Depending on the nature of your project, it may also be appropriate
to consult on-line humanities research databases such as Academic
Search Premier and the MLA
International Bibliography, both available from The
College of Wooster Libraries databases page. Students should
familiarize themselves early and well with L'Annee and
make full use of the materials cited therein. You should also
consult the 3rd edition of the Oxford Classical Dictionary.
Most of its brief articles are followed by a concise bibliography
of key works on that subject. A number of periodicals, among them
Classical World, have published bibliographies on major
authors and fields. Book reviews can help you to evaluate the
most important books in your bibliography. These are cited in
L'Année
and can also be searched for in Classical Review and the
on-line Bryn Mawr
Classical Review.
Primary sources can be identified through a careful check of the footnotes and bibliographies in your secondary reading. You should seek out the best possible translations of the Greek and Latin texts, and consult learned commentaries on them as needed.
Keep a record of your research by taking careful notes on sheets of paper of uniform size. The 5x8 note cards are especially useful for this. Put only closely- related information on a single note card. Paraphrase the author unless you plan to quote him or her directly. Be careful to copy any direct quotations exactly as they appear in the original and put them in quotation marks. Make sure you write down page numbers for paraphrased material as well as for direct quotations.
Be sure to record all the facts you'll need for your footnotes and bibliography, following the forms given in the most recent MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, Kate Turabian's Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations or the attached 'Guidelines for Contributors' to the Transactions of the American Philological Association. For books, you will need the author's or editor's full name, the full title, the number of volumes and edition, the place of publication, publisher, and date, together with the volume and page number of your specific reference. For articles you will need the author's full name, the full title, the name of the periodical, its volume number and date, and the page number of your specific reference. If the article is in an edited volume rather than a periodical, make sure you record the editor's full name, the full title, the place of publication, publisher, date, and the inclusive page numbers of the article you're consulting.
Students should sign out all books used for I.S. rather than informally "borrow" them, so that others will be able to consult them as necessary. In the same spirit, return basic reference works to the shelves where they belong so that others will have access to them.