A Guide to Independent Study in the English Department

Philosphy of Independent Study

Thesis Prerequisite

Advisor Assignments

Choice of Project

Length of Project

Resources and the Library

Format and Documentation

College Regulations on the Responsibilities of the Advisor

College Regulations on Deadlines

The Oral Exam

College Regulations on Grading

Departmental Honors and the I.S. Thesis

Departmental Prizes

Sample Title Page

Philosophy of Independent Study. Howard Lowry, who founded the Independent Study program at Wooster, summarized its challenge simply: "It invites all students to come to their best in terms of their own talents." The philosophy underlying this challenge is summarized by Robert Bonthius, James Davis, and J. Garber Drushal in their study, The Independent Study Program in the United States (NY: Columbia University Press, 1957):

The purpose of higher education is to stimulate and assist growth . . . Facts may stimulate thought, but thought is not imparted. That is the individual's reaction. Education is an active, not a passive, process, in that it does not consist in receiving but in reacting to information, ideas, concepts. Independent thinking is a difficult art but it is the primary goal of the educative process. (vii)

The Department of English views Independent Study as a vital means of enhancing students' abilities as writers and readers of texts and enlarging their critical understanding of language itself and of writers and their cultural contexts. Through self-defined projects students investigate questions of how we read, write, and intrepret texts; how texts interact with individual lives and cultural processes; how understandings of texts are shaped by writers and by readers; how texts-both constructed arguments and fictional forms-provide pleasure as well as access to knowledge, belief and value for writers and for readers. Independent Study in English gives particular emphasis to a critical consciousness of students' own writing processes. The department expects that Independent Study will help students to develop clear thinking, attentiveness to language, and a broad awareness of human values and their cultural embeddedness.

Thesis Prerequisite. English 401 (Perspectives and Methods in Independent Study) is a prerequisite for beginning the Senior Independent Study project. Normally conducted as a seminar with tutorial components, English 401 offers an introduction to various perspectives on literary theory and critical practice. Students are introduced to major resources useful in the study of literature and language and are encouraged to think through their own assumptions as writers of critical analyses. Usually, several short papers and one long paper are required. The long paper may be a self-contained analysis or it may explore an area the student wishes to examine further in the Senior Independent Study project. The Department expects all English majors, whatever the nature of their anticipated senior projects, to develop in English 401 a background in critical theory and research methods.

Adviser Assignments. The Department tries to give students their first choice of advisers; assignments are made in light of student interest and the teaching load of the English faculty. The Department encourages students to talk with various faculty about possible projects; by the end of the first week of the semester in which the student begins Senior Independent Study, she or he should have reached an agreement with an appropriate faculty adviser. On occasion, students will make the arrangement in the semester before registering for senior I.S. The student has the responsibility of conferring regularly with the adviser and of meeting deadlines indicated by the adviser.

In the second semester of the project, the student should consult with the adviser about possible second readers. The Department will make final assignment of second readers.

Choice of Project. English 120, English 200, and English 401 offer guidance on how one conducts active inquiry into the varied issues raised by studying or creating texts. In defining a senior project, students are expected to formulate their inquiry in light of the course of study offered in the English curriculum, in response to questions that arise out of previous work with language and texts, and with knowledge of pertinent library resources.

Possible areas of Independent Study projects vary considerably: for example, interdisciplinary study of a text or group of texts; inquiry into a concern in literary history; investigations of how language and culture interact in a particular context; study of a genre or type of text; study of a writer in relation to her or his culture or a reader's different culture; the editing of a text; inquiry into an issue relevant to linguistics or writing instruction; construction of personal essays, fictional or nonfictional narratives, a collection of poetry, a play or collection of plays. Senior I.S. projects will be worked out in consultation with and subject to the approval of the adviser, who may require a portfolio or other evidence of preparation for the proposed project. No fictional writing may be done unless you've had course work or have a portfolio.

Length of Project. Independent Study projects in English are typically 60-75 pages, but length will vary considerably depending on the nature of the inquiry. An expected length should be agreed on in conference between the adviser and the student. Quality, not quantity, is the chief criterion in judging any I.S. project.

The Department asks that any project that is not predominantly analytical - e.g. fictional writing projects, collections of essays, etc. - include a critical statement discussing the development of the project, including purposes, background reading and research, and choices in language and form. Analytical projects should include a discussion of the purposes of the inquiry and identify the means by which the project addresses those purposes.

Resources and the Library. Students should recognize that no single library, no matter how extensive its holdings, is adequate for every project. Students should consult with their adviser to select a topic, which can be completed with resources available in Wooster. If alternative sources of information are required for the I.S., it must be clearly understood that the following rules apply.

Inter-library loan: The library is not obligated to pay for inter-library loans and will do so only when requests seem reasonable.
Microfilm dissertation copies: These will not be eligible for funding by the library unless the adviser, by signing a request form, indicates that the dissertation will be used with the same frequency as a book added to the collection.

Format and Documentation. Mechanics, documentation, and bibliography must conform to the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. A sample title page is attached; a Table of Contents should be included. Students should consult with advisers about details of format and may wish to ask to see examples of previous Independent Study projects.

College Regulations on the Responsibilities of the Adviser. The responsibilities of the adviser are as follows:

College Regulations on Deadlines. Advisers may impose deadlines for the purpose of commenting and advising when the work is in progress. The student may not expect editorial comment, guidance, and advice on drafts of the thesis or versions of the project submitted after the eighth week of the semester in which the project is completed.

Two copies of the I.S. Thesis are due in the Registrar's Office by 4:00 p.m. on the first day of classes following Spring Recess or four weeks prior to the end of classes for Spring Semester, whichever date is sooner.

Any delay in turning in a thesis beyond the deadlines specified above automatically establishes the grade of I for the thesis. The conditions for changing the I to a passing grade will be established by the Dean of the Faculty after consultation with the student's adviser. The I automatically becomes NC two weeks after the deadline for the submission of the thesis unless prior approval for an extension of the I has been given by the Dean. No thesis turned in after the deadline will receive a grade of Honors without the unanimous vote of the Department and the approval of the Dean.

The Oral Exam. In the weeks following submission of the final copy of the project to the registrar, the student is examined by his or her adviser and by a second reader. The exam is a discussion and inquiry into the project's purposes and results, including questions of style, form, and strategy. The student's performance on the oral exam is considered by the two readers in determining the grade. At some time subsequent to the oral exam, the student receives from the second reader a written critique of her or his project. The prime copy of the I.S. is returned to the student; the Department retains the second copy. Students may be asked to make minor alterations before the copy is accepted.

College Regulations on Grading. In evaluating the I.S. project the faculty readers will consider the following three elements and the manner in which these are combined in the realization of the project.

Content: The choice of the I.S. Thesis topic should reflect a considered judgment as to the significance and manageability of the subject, and the completed project should represent a serious and systematic attempt to deal with it by having used effectively the available resources. An awareness of what has and has not been accomplished should be part of the presentation of the project.

Method: The methods chosen should be stated and followed. The choices involved in the design should be made clear, and an appreciation of its uses and limits should be one of the results of the project.

Form: Form is an essential element of clear expression. The project should reflect explicit attention to the requirements of form for a given discipline, field, or mode of expression.

Independent Study Projects are graded as follows:

Departmental Honors and the I.S. Thesis. A graduating senior will receive departmental honors by attaining all of the following:

• A cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or better for all courses completed in the English Department.
  
• A cumulative average of 3.200 or better for all courses completed at the College.
  
• Honors for the I.S. Thesis or the unanimous vote of the department that the student's overall performance is of the quality to merit departmental honors.

Departmental Prizes. The Waldo H. Dunn Prize is awarded to the major adjudged to have written the most distinguished I.S. The Paul Q. White Prize is awarded to the senior who, in the Department's judgment, has made the best record in English.