Research Seminar

The Research Seminar introduces critical approaches to reading written and visual texts. They provide you strategies for interpreting literature, films, and other cultural objects, such as photographs and works of art. Students in this seminar explore a variety of theories about reading and looking, with an eye toward understanding what the role of criticism is, why and how the study of literature and culture still matters, and how they can develop their own critical skills based on personal interests and concerns. Various ways of reading the same text reveal possible interpretations and different concerns. This course teaches reading strategies that help students get to the heart of what they are studying. Significant amounts of course work will be devoted to the art of researching, drafting, and then writing the final research paper. How to choose a thesis, what methods of investigation you employ, and how you synthesize your analysis are basics of the process.

Students whose research papers are of exceptional quality will be nominated for presentation at the annual MLC Undergraduate Research Conference.

For more information on the MLC Major Seminar, click here.