Expanding Opportunities for Undergraduate Research in English Studies

Abstract

The authors take up the call from the MLA’s Report to the Teagle Foundation on the Undergraduate Major in Language and Literature “to engage students with faculty scholarly interests and the issues and arguments debated in the discipline” and make recommendations on ways undergraduates may conduct research in the field. While English departments have been slow overall to engage students in undergraduate research as popularized in other fields by the Council on Undergraduate Research, the National Conferences on Undergraduate Research, and professional organizations, the authors believe that students have the potential to contribute to knowledge in the field. Invigorating undergraduate research in English studies may benefit all, students and faculty members alike, as well as the field itself. The essay concludes with practical advice to effect change. (JK and LG)