Students prepare for English 241, “Archeology of Text,” research projects in twelve weeks of readings and laboratory experiences which introduce skills necessary to work with early printed books and archival documents. (For the text of the assignment, see
here). The goal of these projects is to enable each student to pursue a self-designed creative or descriptive study of books, manuscripts, and other artifacts from Special Collections and Archives. Because the course is interdisciplinary and students come from many majors, it is hard to predict where students’ curiosities will take them. The best way to encourage active student engagement is prepare students for the widest range of book and document related work. Successful projects can lead to further research supported by Goucher’s Peirce Center fellowships.