AJ34110 The Profession of English

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2012
Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 15 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. et Mgr. Kateřina Prajznerová, M.A., Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Jeffrey Alan Vanderziel, B.A.
Department of English and American Studies – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Tomáš Hanzálek
Supplier department: Department of English and American Studies – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
each even Friday 9:10–12:25 G24
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 15 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/15, only registered: 0/15
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
This course introduces students to the professional skills necessary for success in literary scholarship and teaching at institutions of higher learning. It consists of two projects which draw on the research and writing that students have done so far and plan to pursue in the future in their primary field of study. The assignments in these projects cover, for example, the making of a CV, organizing research material and preparing a comprehensive bibliography, becoming familiar with research opportunities and potential sources of funding, formulating grant and scholarship applications, composing conference presentation proposals, revising a presentation into an article and submitting the article for publication in a scholarly journal, getting oriented in current curriculum trends, and designing a course syllabus. Students will explore, draft, peer-review, workshop, and revise a variety of interconnected assignments, gradually building up a course portfolio.
Syllabus
  • Session 1/ March 9
  • Assignment I: Publishing and Teaching Project, Part 1: The Making of a CV
  • Your CV is usually your first introduction to a grant agency/ host at another university/ employer/ conference organizer/ publisher. As with everything else in the discipline, it is important to develop your own style while at the same time keeping up with the latest developments. What are the current expectations and possibilities?
  • a. Find the CVs of three well-known scholars in your field and rank them, with some rationale of your ranking.
  • b. Update your own CV. Submit this information as an echo-assignment in ELF by noon on Monday, March 5, and bring a copy for your reference in class.
  • Assignment II: Bibliography Project, Part 1: A Biographical Introduction
  • Knowing what has been done on your author(s) and where there is a lacuna in the existing scholarship is the foundation of your dissertation (and any other) research. Therefore, for each session, you will compile a list of sources in a particular category as relevant for your key author(s). The first step is deciding who you want to write about (at least at this stage in the program).
  • a. Look over your old dissertation proposal and briefly describe the progress you have made since the time you wrote it (about 200 words).
  • b. Write a brief biographical introduction that situates the key author(s) that you have decided on in a historical and literary context and justifies your choice to study her/him/them (about 400 words). Submit this information as an echo-assignment in ELF by noon on Monday, March 5, and bring a copy for your reference in class.
  • Assignment III: Look at the other participants’ assignments in ELF and submit feedback on at least two people’s assignments in the forum for that week by noon on Thursday, March 8.
  • Session 2/ March 23
  • Assignment I: Publishing and Teaching Project, Part 2: Preparing a Grant/Scholarship Application
  • To conduct research in your target culture and in libraries that have the necessary resources, you will most likely need to apply for a grant or a scholarship at some point in the program. What opportunities are there in your field of study?
  • a. Find three potential sources of funding to support your research and study the application guidelines. Rank these sources, with some rationale of your ranking.
  • b. Whether you actually plan to submit the application or not, fill in the application form and put together all the supporting materials required for your top choice. Submit this information as an echo-assignment in ELF by noon on Monday, March 19, and bring a copy for your reference in class.
  • Assignment II: Bibliography Project, part 2: Primary Works
  • Depending on which of these categories are applicable to your key author(s), compile as exhaustive a list as possible of the following: bibliographies of primary works, major institutional/ library collections, major repositories of journals, letters, and memorabilia, the author’s separately published book-length works, manuscripts and unpublished works, and the textual situation of one work worthy of a critical edition. Submit this information as an echo-assignment in ELF by noon on Monday, March 19, and bring a copy for your reference in class.
  • Assignment III: Look at the other participants’ assignments in ELF and submit feedback on at least two people’s assignments in the forum for that week by noon on Thursday, March 22.
  • Session 3/ April 20
  • Assignment I: Publishing and Teaching Project, Part 3: Preparing a Conference Presentation
  • Attending a conference is an integral part of the publication process: it sets a focus and a deadline, it provides an opportunity to get feedback from other experts, it offers exposure to other people’s research, and it is a chance to network. Many conferences are organized annually by an international association. Where would you like to go and why?
  • a. Find three conferences within a year from now (past or future) that would be appropriate for a paper you have written or are working on right now. Rank them, with some rationale of your ranking.
  • b. Whether or not you actually plan to attend the conference, prepare an abstract according to the submission guidelines in your top choice. Edit your paper to a fifteen-minute oral version for a presentation in class. Submit this information, with whatever other materials the conference requires, as an echo-assignment in ELF by noon on Monday, April 16, and bring a copy for your reference in class. (You will present your paper and get feedback on your presentation in class).
  • Assignment II: Bibliography Project, Part 3: Secondary Works Depending on which of these categories are applicable to your key author(s), and, if necessary, limiting the period of scholarship covered (for example, 1980-2011), compile as exhaustive a list as possible of the following: separately published bibliographies of secondary works, serial/ genre/ national/ period/ topical bibliographies, additional reference works, journals, newsletters, electronic discussion groups, web sites, and critical studies (dissertations, articles, book chapters, monographs). Submit this information as an echo-assignment in ELF by noon on Wednesday, April 16, and bring a copy for your reference in class.
  • Assignment III: Look at the other participants’ assignments in ELF and submit feedback on at least two people’s assignments in the forum for that week by noon on Thursday, April 19.
  • Session 4/ May 4
  • Assignment I: Publishing and Teaching Project, Part 4: Preparing a Journal Article
  • Revising a conference presentation into a publishable article is hard (and it does not seem to get much easier with time). It helps to be invited to submit the article for consideration in a special issue or an essay collection, by a certain deadline. But often it is up to your own initiative to seek out publication opportunities and then keep to your own deadline. Trying to balance the realistic with the ideal, what are your best options?
  • a. Find three publications that would be appropriate venues for your paper and rank them, with some rationale of your ranking.
  • b. Revise your paper according to the submission guidelines for your top choice and write a letter to the journal or collection editor. Submit this information as an echo-assignment in ELF by noon on Monday, April 30, and bring a copy for your reference in class.
  • Assignment II: Bibliography Project, part 4: Biographical Works Based on the research you have done so far, what are the most reliable sources of biographical information on your key author(s) and what major problems face a prospective biographer? Submit this information as an echo-assignment in ELF by noon on Monday, April 30, and bring a copy for your reference in class.
  • Assignment III: Look at the other participants’ assignments in ELF and submit feedback on at least two people’s assignments in the forum for that week by noon on Thursday, May 3.
  • Session 5/ May 18
  • Assignment I: Publishing and Teaching Project, Part 5: Preparing a Course Proposal
  • Ideally, your research fuels your teaching and vice versa, even though you will probably need to develop a much broader variety of courses than your research focus covers. Based on the situation at Masaryk University or at a university where you would like to work after graduation, what kinds of courses would you be most likely to teach?
  • a. Find three BA-level and three MA-level syllabi in your area, and rank them, with some rationale of your ranking.
  • b. Design your own BA-level course and a related MA-level course. Submit this information as an echo-assignment in ELF by noon on Monday, May 14, and bring a copy for your reference in class.
  • Assignment II: Bibliography Project, Part 5: The State of the Existing Scholarship
  • Evaluate the sources you have found in the previous bibliography assignments, select and annotate the ten most important works on your author(s), and identify what the most pressing need for future scholarship is. How does your dissertation project contribute to satisfying this need? Submit this information as an echo-assignment in ELF by noon on Monday, May 14, and bring a copy for your reference in class.
  • Assignment III: Look at the other participants’ assignments in ELF and submit feedback on at least two people’s assignments in the forum for that week by noon on Thursday, May 17.
Literature
  • MLA Handbook
Teaching methods
This course is a workshop, students will peer-review and provide feedback on submitted assignments.
Assessment methods
Assessment: Publishing and teaching project 50% Bibliography project 30% Class participation 20% Please submit the course portfolio (a folder which should include evidence of all the supporting documents, drafts, and revised versions for the two projects) to Tomáš Hanzálek by noon on Friday, June 1.
Language of instruction
English
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course can also be completed outside the examination period.
The course is taught once in two years.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2010, Spring 2014, Spring 2016, Spring 2018, Spring 2020, Spring 2022, Spring 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2012, recent)
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