Due: Sun, Jan 26, @ midnight
Category = project proposal
Before you begin writing your proposal, read the chapter from Craft of Research (DropBox), which guides you through the process of framing an interesting, viable scholarly research project.
Your 3-paragraph project proposal should identify question or problem you propose to investigate and establish specific parameters for your research, such as the genre, period, author(s), etc. In terms of scope, think about the project outcome of equivalent magnitude to a scholarly article (approximately 25 pages). By scholarly, we mean that your project should be grounded in research, informed by data/evidence, and supported by analysis/interpretation, even if you gather and share the knowledge you produce in unconventional ways.
Things to Think About
- What kind of data or evidence will you need? How will you gather it? If you plan to gather personal information or stories, could anyone be harmed or endangered by the sharing of this information? (Go through IRB process to find out.)
- How will you get permission to publish any literary texts, images, video, or other copyrighted media that you want to use in your project? (See librarians for help!)
- What audiences do you want to reach with your project? What are their needs/desires? How will you connect with them? Would any participants in your project stand to be harmed or endangered by participating?
- How will you know when your project is finished? If users can contribute, who will curate or maintain the site after the semester is over?
Title: Your proposal should have a title that clearly indicates the author(s), genre(s) or specific problem to be investigated.
Topic: Your first paragraph should propose a specific question or problem for investigation. What problem do you want to address in the realm of literary studies or the humanities and why? Try to situate your core idea in a critical conversation: What have scholars said about this problem? What might general public assumptions be? Assert a hypothesis or provisional thesis in response to the question or problem. Include a brief description of the methods and tool(s) you will use.
Sources: Your second paragraph should identify the primary source(s) you will study and explain how you will access them. If you plan to draw upon archival material, identify what you will use and where you will find it.
Pros and Cons: Your third paragraph should discuss the pros and cons of pursuing a DH project on this topic. Why are you interested? Why would others be interested? What makes the project viable? What are its greatest challenges?
Bibliography: Include a preliminary bibliography of sources related to your topic.
Co-authored proposals: Although everyone must submit a proposal, if you know someone who wants to propose the same topic, you may co-author a proposal. Make sure both of your first names are listed in the proposal.