UPenn CPF

Today, I introduced our Research Assignment. 2000 words can seem scary. It is scary. But the key to doing this--and doing it well--is to break the project down into small, managable steps. So that's what we're doing here.

To start, you have to have something interesting to talk about. We spent much of today's class talking about the UPenn Call for Papers (link at right).

The UPenn CFP is a database of calls for papers, where academics find venues for their work. Projects might be conferences, in which you deliver a paper or participate in a panel discussion. Or the project might be an essay for publication in a journal or anthology.

Features of Calls:
Many calls are general on purpose. The reason for this is to allow scholars to define their own terms in their own, interesting ways. For example, the call for "vulnerability" was seemingly specific, but after discussion, it became obvious that "vulnerability" could be interpreted many different ways. Likewise for Harry Potter studies.

Assignment:
We postponed the deadline for your Short Analysis Papers to Friday at midnight. (Please post as a Google Doc on your blog).

For your research project:
- find 3 CPF (using the UPenn CFP database) and summarize these on your blog.
Example: "Into the Pensieve: The Harry Potter Generation in Retrospect." (Edited Collection--or a book). The collection is interested in the ways that the Harry Potter series has impacted readers. Suggested topics cover:

• fandom
• historical approach
• cultural approach

- find 5 texts/subjects that you might research/analyze that speak to these questions (X)
Example: the Harry Potter series. Or, better yet, a specific text: Harry Potter and the Ring of Fire.

- for each text/subject, identify 3 elements--or ways you might investigate (Y)
Example: fans of Harry Potter, Chinese fans of Harry Potter, bullying in Harry Potter, etc.

Please come to class on Friday ready to share/discuss your potential topics. We will have a discussion in class about which topics would work well for a research project and what might need to be changed.