Modern English Usage and Research Methodology

Paper Code: 
ENG 141
Max. Marks: 
100
Unit I: 
Research in Literature:
  • Meaning and Scope of Research  (MLA Handbook p. 3)
  • Literary Research as ‘Vocation’  (Altick  pp. 15-18)
  • Primary and Secondary Sources  (MLA Handbook  p. 3)
  • ‘Finding Materials’  (Altick  pp. 155-160)
  • Identifying the research area/ selecting a topic, narrowing the focus  (MLA Handbook  pp. 6-7)
  • The Research Paper as a form of Exploration         (MLA Handbook  pp. 3-5)

The Research Paper as a form of Communication 

Unit II: 
Resources:
  • Libraries (MLA Handbook  pp. 8-9)
  • Internet for web sources  (MLA Handbook  pp. 24-26 & 28-31)
  • Research centres, multimedia resources, etc.  (MLA Handbook  pp. 24-31)
Unit III: 
The Process of Critical Reading:
  • Preparing cards (for Notes: MLA Handbook pp. 38-40  &  for Bibliography: pp. 31-33)
  • Close reading
  • Making notes  (Altick, pp. 205-218)
Unit IV: 
Writing a Research Paper:
  • Outlining (MLA Handbook  pp. 41-46)
  • The Philosophy of Composition (organizing material/ ideas, developing an argument, coherence and cohesion)       (Altick  pp.  220-21, 223-25, 227-30, 233, 236-37, 242-44, & 246)
  •  Preparing a Research Proposal
Unit V: 
Documentation:
  • Use of quoted material/ citing sources in the text  (MLA Handbook  pp. 213-232)
  • Plagiarism  (MLA Handbook  pp. 52-58)
  • Preparing the list of works cited  (MLA Handbook  pp. 123-212)
  • Compiling a Working Bibliography (MLA Handbook  pp. 31-33
SUGGESTED READINGS: 
  • MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, East-West Press, 2009    (Seventh Edition)
  • The Art of Literary Research, Richard D. Altick with John J. Fenstermaker,  W.W. Norton & Co., (4th Edition) 1992 .
  • Literary Research Guide, James L. Harner, The Modern Language Association of India, 2008 (Fifth Edition).   
  • Extracts from ‘Facilitating Coherence across Qualitative Research Papers’. Ronald J. Chenail & Maureen Duffy (Nova Southeastern University, Fort Landerdale, Florida, USA) and Sally St. George & Dan Wulff (University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada).
Academic Year: 
2016-2017