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Special Topics in Scholarly Methods: Anglo-Scottish Print Culture, 1700-2007 (P02143)

? Credit Points : 20 ? SCQF Level : 11 ? Acronym : HCA-P-STSM

This course will introduce students to major themes in the history of printing and to theoretical approaches to print culture. It will concentrate on the British context, spanning the Scottish Enlightenment to the present day, from the Parliament Square chapbook to the digital edition. Students will attend demonstrations of printing on a variety of English and Scottish hand and machine presses; attend lectures on the history of bookselling, censorship, editing, and printing; participate in seminars that address a range of scholarly problems relating to historical notions of authorship, economics of book circulation, and social aspects of copyright; and attend presentations by specialists on topics relating to current textual theory and practice. Edinburgh is the only UN-designated City of Literature, and offers world-class facilities for examining the material and intellectual history of print culture.

Entry Requirements

? Special Arrangements for Entry : This course will meet weekly in the Department of Special Collections, Main Library; two classes will also be held in the National Library of Scotland, and one in the National Museum of Scotland. There will also be a day-trip to Robert Smail's Printing Works (NTS) in Innerleithen--bus fare & admission at students' expense.

Subject Areas

Home subject area

Postgraduate (School of History and Classics), (School of History, Classics and Archaeology, Schedule E)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : Postgraduate

? Delivery Period : Not being delivered

? Contact Teaching Time : 2 hour(s) per week for 11 weeks

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, students will have developed a historical awareness of the complex relations between print technology and literary values, conversant with the related theoretical discourse. This will entail:
• Knowledge of the physical features of early- and machine-printed books
• Appreciation of the print technologies and sociology that defined the production and reception of books during this period, in Scotland and in England, from the Enlightenment to the present
• Development of a critical vocabulary with which to discuss print culture
• Familiarity with the technical, legal, and moral discourses which defined authorship, readership, and literacy
• Ability to engage in ongoing debates concerning principles of scholarly editing
• Understanding the material culture of literary production, across literary genres

In addition, students will develop the following research skills:
• Identification of unique printed editions
• Recognition of editorial methodologies, both historical and contemporary
• Engagement with critical theory concerning print culture
• Management of specialised bibliographical manuals and catalogues

Assessment Information

Evaluation will be based on the submission of a final research paper (3000 words), a preliminary version of which will be presented to the class in the form of a 20-minute seminar. In addition to weekly discussion of the assigned texts, each meeting will feature exhibition of related print media, including Georgian manuscripts, newspapers, Romantic-era printing ledgers, nineteenth-century “railway novels,” and hypertext editions.