HUM 301 - The Book: Text, Object, and Experience

3 Credit(s)

This course is an advanced introduction to the study of the book and book history. The course focuses on written and printed documents from the late 16th century to the end of the 19th century, including manuscripts, letters, anthologies, broadsheets, newspapers, magazines, giftbooks, annuals, dictionaries, and commonplace books. Students study such topics as descriptive and analytical bibliography (the study of books, their composition, and production throughout history), paleography (the study of handwriting and manuscripts), reading and writing as cultural transaction, the rise of the periodical press, textual criticism and editing, contemporary reception, and other aspects of professional authorship and the publishing industry. Students also visit local libraries and museums to examine old books and manuscripts for themselves.
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 102 or ENGL 103 and any history, art history, or music history course.