BA Seminar: Twentieth-Century American Literature: Critical Approaches 4219-ZS045
This seminar will take the form of a structured writing process with continuous supervision; it will function as a kind of “production line,” guiding students step by step from an initial idea to a completed chapter of your BA thesis. Throughout the semester, I will introduce and briefly discuss key aspects of research and academic writing—such as formulating a research question, developing an argument, working with sources, and addressing common problems that arise at different stages of the process. The seminar is organized around clearly defined milestones. At each stage, students will be required to submit specific assignments, which will be graded and will form the basis for passing the course. Alongside this, we will work in a workshop format: giving and receiving peer feedback, discussing each other’s work, and revising drafts. An important component of the seminar will also be individual supervision—short, regular feedback from me aimed at supporting your progress and helping you develop your project at each stage.
Course coordinators
Type of course
B.Sc. seminars
Learning outcomes
After completing the course, students will
Knowledge
Understand the principles of academic research in literary studies, including research design and the formulation of research questions.
Know how to identify and distinguish between primary and secondary sources relevant to literary analysis.
Understand criteria for evaluating scholarly sources, including credibility, relevance, methodological rigor, and academic reliability.
Be familiar with major academic databases, bibliographic tools, and research resources used in literary studies.
Skills
Conduct independent research, including locating and evaluating scholarly sources.
Write a BA-level research paper using appropriate academic conventions and citation styles.
Perform close reading and comparative analysis of literary works.
Engage critically with secondary literature (articles, monographs, theoretical texts).
Social competences
Demonstrate readiness to participate in academic discussions and seminars.
Show openness to multiple interpretations and perspectives.
Develop intellectual independence and critical thinking.
Assessment criteria
To receive a passing grade for the seminar, one needs to complete all the four milestones by deadlines set on Kampus.
presentation on the state-of-knowledge review + the text of the review
poster and the text based on the poster
outline
second chapter
Bibliography
Bennett, Andrew, and Nicholas Royle. An Introduction to Literature, Criticism and Theory. 5th ed. London: Routledge, 2016.
Booth, Wayne C., Gregory G. Colomb, Joseph M. Williams, Joseph Bizup, and William T. FitzGerald. The Craft of Research. 4th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2016.
Graff, Gerald, and Cathy Birkenstein. They Say / I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing. 4th ed. New York: W. W. Norton, 2018.
Lipson, Charles. How to Write a BA Thesis: A Practical Guide from Your First Ideas to Your Finished Paper. 2nd ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2018.
Turabian, Kate L. A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. 9th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2018.