Summary Description English research is largely conducted independently. Each student has an adviser in a relevant field who will discuss the student's dissertation project and suggest venues such as conferences and journals where the student can present the work. Students in literature may be able to conduct research solely through good library resources. Many of our students use archival resources to access rare and/or unpublished materials or to consult manuscripts. Students in Rhetoric and Composition and Folklore may do human subject research such as ethnography or classroom observation. More Details Update the text in this blurb with a clear label and upload a file.

Tools and Resources (1) Courses such as 903, our teaching apprenticeship course, where students observe a faculty member teaching an undergraduate course that they later teach themselves; the dissertation seminar; and writing for publication (2) Graduate student colloquia, where students present their research to students and faculty (3) Funding to travel to present at conferences (4) the mentoring website Tool/Resource #1 Update the text in this blurb with a clear label and upload a file. Tool/Resource #2 Update the text in this blurb with a clear label and upload a file.

Goals for Students By the time students complete the PhD, they should understand the genres of oral presentation, journal article, dissertation, and scholarly monograph. They should know how to use secondary sources, and many will know how to conduct archival research or how to set up a research project involving human subjects. They should be able to think independently, but with an awareness of the most important current work in the field.

Program Context Our program is designed to give foundational coursework before the Candidacy Exam. Our timeline for doctoral students with MA would be to take coursework; take the candidacy exam towards the end of the second year; to have the prospectus approved early in the third year; and to defend the dissertation by the end of the fourth year.

How Do We Know? Successful students will be able to share their work with others through presentations and publication. Without scholarly activity, it's difficult to obtain a tenure-track position. Most of our graduates do obtain such positions. Students are evaluated through graduate reports, required for every course; through the candidacy exam; and through the oral defense. Assessment Tools Update the text in this blurb with a clear label and upload a file.

Unanswered Questions The Ohio State University is on the quarter (10-week term) system, with most classes meeting for two hours twice a week. We wonder whether this affects the quality of research that beginning doctoral students can produce. We'd like to know whether other course structures produce higher quality research. How does diversity (or lack of it) of courses, faculty, and students affect research?

Contact Information Contact person(s) Clare Simmons and Jeff Slagle Email address simmons.9@osu.edu; slagle.24@osu.edu