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Last revised 4/12/05 being revised now

[The syllabus for this seminar in Fall 2005 is not yet available, but the document below, for 2003 and subject to revision, will give students a general idea of what to expect. The seminar will cover the history of the book from Sumerian clay tablets and Egyptian papyrus scrolls in the fourth millennium B.C. to digital products of the present electronic age.  Its emphasis by far will be on codex manuscripts in the Western Middle Ages (roughly A.D. 700-1500) and on printed books in the handpress period (1450s to about 1800) in Europe, as well as on the formation and development of important libraries preserving these materials.  This will be a rigorous course, with practical assignments of a bibliographic character due on virtually every class day. In 2005 one textbook of moderate cost will be required.]

History of the Book

English/IRLS 596k                                                                             Carl T. Berkhout

TR, 2:00-3:15 p.m., UA Library                                                            ML 459, tel 621-1836

Fall 2003                                                                                               ctb@u.arizona.edu

                                                                                                www.u.arizona.edu/~ctb

Textbook

No textbook is required for this seminar, although the photocopying needs will be a little higher than usual.  I’ll highly recommend some books that everyone involved with the scholarly use of libraries should always have to hand—such as AACR2, the MLA Handbook, decent dictionaries of most Indo-European languages (certainly including Latin), and other works of a reference character.

Structure of the course

The generic title of this seminar, which used to be an English seminar only, is “Methods and Materials of (Literary) Research.”  I’ve modified its particular content to meet the needs or interests of SIRLS students (and of research-minded English students as well), but its methods-and-materials character remains regardless of the seminar’s particular subtitle or focus.  For the first several weeks students will deal with various library questions and problems to acquire advanced competence in the use and understanding of libraries as fast as possible.

After we organize and launch our collective and individual projects for the seminar, I’ll spend a series of classes specifically on the history of the book from its origins on clay tablets and papyrus ca. 4000 B.C. to the present but with emphasis on codex books from the medieval manuscript period (roughly A.D. 700-1500) and the handpress period (1450s to about 1800) in Europe. 

The main burden of the course will be a collective cataloguing project, with individual responsibilities duly assigned, involving early printed books at AzU.  I’ll need to meet the class at least once or twice before I can be more specific about this project, but past projects will give some idea of what I have in mind:  In 2000 we prepared highly detailed catalogue descriptions and classifications of AzU’s incunabula (about 50 titles plus fragments).  In 2001 we identified and partially catalogued the Spanish and Spanish colonial imprints at AzU from 1483 through 1821 (about 1200 titles).  In 2002 we described the early imprints (about 70 titles before 1801) in the Heiko A. Oberman library. 

Examinations, grading

There will be no exams in this course, as it is very much a hands-on seminar.  Grading at semester’s end will be based entirely on the quality of work submitted for all assignments.  Absolute accuracy is always essential.  I expect of each student diligent and very careful performance, flawless class attendance and preparation, and in general the initiative, the resourcefulness, and the work ethic of a serious scholar-librarian.

Office hours

My office is room 459 in the Modern Languages Building.  My established hours there are chiefly with my English 425a/525a class in mind.  For 596k it will usually be more practical for us to meet in the Library by arrangement. 

 

Course Syllabus for IRLS596 The History of the Book

Link to Course Outline

Fall 2005 Instructor:



COURSE NAME, NUMBER, AND PREREQUISITES


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COURSE DESCRIPTION


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COURSE OBJECTIVES


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REQUIRED COURSE MATERIALS


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COURSE POLICIES

Academic Code of Integrity

Students are expected to abide by The University of Arizona Code of Academic Integrity. 'The guiding principle of academic integrity is that a student's submitted work must be the student's own.' If you have any questions regarding what is acceptable practice under this Code, please ask an Instructor.

Accommodating Disabilities

The University has a Disability Resource Center . If you anticipate the need for reasonable accommodations to meet the requirements of this course, you must register with the Disability Resource Center and request that the DRC send me, the Instructor, official notification of your accommodation needs as soon as possible. Please plan to meet with me by appointment or during office hours to discuss accommodations and how my course requirements and activities may impact your ability to fully participate.

Assignment Policies

Incompletes

The 1997-8 University of Arizona General Academic Manual, p.23 reads

The grade of I may be awarded only at the end of a semester, when all but a minor portion of the course work has been satisfactorily completed. The grade of I is not to be awarded when the student is expected to repeat the course; in such a case the grade of E must be assigned. Students should make arrangements with the instructor to receive an incompete grade before the end of the semester ...

If the incomplete is not removed by the instructor within one year the I grade will revert to a failing grade.


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GRADING


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CONTACTING ME


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