Course Title:: Textual Editing & Paleography; 3 credit hrs.
Spring '10 Location: University Center
Class Meeting Times: 6 pm Wednesday
English 577.01
Adams
Evans 110
(936) 294-1419
eng_ira@shsu.edu
Textual Editing and Paleography
Spring '10
REQUIRED TEXT: 1. Textual Scholarship: An Introduction, by D. C. Greetham ISBN: 0815317913
RECOMMENDED WEBSITES:
1. Editing:
http://www.earlham.edu/~seidti/iam/interp_mss.html
2. Paleography:
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/palaeography/tutorial/default.htm
http://www.english.cam.ac.uk/ceres/ehoc/index.html
http://paleo.anglo-norman.org/palindex.html
http://manuscripts.cmrs.ucla.edu/
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January 13: Introductory Lecture on Textual Editing and Its History (Greetham, ch. 8)
January 20: More on Textual Editing, History and Theory (Greetham, ch. 9)
January 27: Editing the "Gettysburg Address," A Group Experiment (Greetham, Appendix II)
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February 3: Your First Project: Editing a Letter from Lord Byron (preliminaries)
February 10: Workshop on Solving Textual Problems and Putting Your Edition of Byron in Final Form
February 17: Debriefing the Byron Project (your edition of Byron is due at the beginning of class)
February 24: Your Second Project: Editing a Letter from Joshua Reynolds (preliminaries)
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March 3: Workshop on Solving Textual Problems and Putting Your Edition of Reynolds in Final Form
March 10: Debriefing the Reynolds Project (your edition of Reynolds is due at the beginning of class)
March 17: SPRING BREAK WEEK
March 24: Your Third Project: Editing a Letter from John Donne
March 31: Workshop on Solving Textual Problems and Putting Your Edition of Donne in Final Form
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April 7: Paleography in General (Greetham ch. 5) (your edition of Donne is due at the beginning of class)
April 14: Renaissance Paleography: Secretary and Italic hands (Renaissance samples distributed)
April 21: Debriefing on Renaissance Samples (your transcriptions are due at the beginning of class)
Medieval Paleography: Bookhands and Bastarda (Medieval samples distributed)
April 28: Debriefing on Medieval Samples (your transcriptions are due at the beginning of class)
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May 5: Extra Credit Assignment (Transcribe three samples in class)
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Absence and Presence: I do not take roll and will not penalize absences per se, though you will, of course, when
absent, pay the indirect price involved in having missed class discussion. You may not turn in assignments late
without a doctor's excuse.
Grades: Each project will count 25% each of your semester grade and the transcriptions will collectively count
25%. The extra credit assignment can be used to add up to six points to your final semester average.
A = 92 – 100 B = 83 – 91 C= 70 – 82 F = below 70
COURSE DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this course is to introduce
the students to the theory and process of scholarly textual editing and to familiarize them
with the associated skills, including the ability to read and transcribe accurately the forms of
handwriting commonly encountered in Medieval and Renaissance documents.
Random SHSU-mandated information: Student Absences on Religious Holy Days Policy Section 51.911(b) of the Texas Education
Code requires that an institution of higher education excuse a student from attending classes or other required activities, including
examinations, for the observance of a religious holy day, including travel for that purpose. Section 51.911(a)(2) defines religious holy
days as: "a holy day observed by a religion whose places of worship are exempt from property taxation under Section 11.20, Tax
Code...."A student whose absence is excused under this subsection may not be penalized for that absence and shall be allowed to take an
examination or complete an assignment from which the student is excused within a reasonable time after the absence. University policy
861001 provides the procedures to be followed by the student and instructor. A student desiring to absent himself/herself from a
scheduled class in order to observe (a) religious holy day(s) shall present to each instructor involved a written statement concerning the
religious holy day(s). The instructor will notify the student of a reasonable timeframe in which the missed assignments and/or
examinations are to be completed. Americans With Disabilities Act: SHSU adheres to all applicable federal, state, and local laws,
regulations, and guidelines with respect to providing reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities. If you have a disability
that may affect adversely your work in this class, then I encourage you to register with the SHSU Counseling Center and to talk with me
about how I can best help you. All disclosures of disabilities will be kept strictly confidential. NOTE: no accommodation can be made
until you register with the Counseling Center. Please contact the Chair of the Committee for Continuing Assistance for Disabled Students
and Director of the Counseling Center, Lee Drain Annex, or by calling 294-1720. A course evaluation form will be offered near the end
of the semester. Unannounced visitors to class must present a current, official SHSU identification card to be permitted into the
classroom. They must not present a disruption to the class by their attendance. If the visitor is not a registered student, it is at the
instructor's discretion whether or not the visitor will be allowed to remain in the classroom. If anyone creates a serious disturbance in the
classroom and refuses to leave, I will have that person removed by force. Academic Dishonesty: All students are expected to engage in
all academic pursuits in a manner that is above reproach. Students are expected to maintain complete honesty and integrity in the
academic experiences both in and out of the classroom. Any student found guilty of dishonesty in any phase of academic work will be
subject to disciplinary action. The University and its official representatives may initiate disciplinary proceedings against a student
accused of any form of academic dishonesty including, but not limited to, cheating on an examination or other academic work which is to
be submitted, plagiarism, collusion and the abuse of resource materials. SHSU Student Code of Conduct:
http://www.shsu.edu/students/StudentGuidelines2007_2008.pdf