DawgNotes

Methodology: Historicism. I will contextualize Perrin's work and influences for the twenty-first century composition scholar/practitioner.

Method: Primarily archival research, including primary texts authored or edited by Perrin, introductory material by co-authors in later editions of Perrin's texts, and Perrin's papers at Colgate University and the University of Washington. In addition to reading of texts, engage reference librarians at Syracuse University, for outside materials and SU Archives for work of Leonard Brown and use of Perrin's texts in English courses here, Colgate and UW. Investigate connections between Perrin and co-authors of his books, and where applicable discuss the paths from those associations.

Initial Goal (for this course): Read the dissertation, review other materials, begin compiling footnotes for the dissertation text, draft a preliminary introduction, an outline of the overall project and a plan for its completion.

Research Questions:
- What would a twenty-first century student or practitioner in the field of composition need to know to understand Perrin's dissertation and its relevance?
- Porter Perrin is a white male academic working in the middle of the twentieth century. At a time when recovery work focuses on underrepresented groups, what can be gained by a better understanding of Perrin's work?

Some supporting questions:
- What does the reader need to know about the author's life? (This is the biographical part.)
- What allusions, literary, social, or otherwise, shape the meaning of the text?
- With whom was Perrin working/studying at the University of Chicago? How, if at all, do the values or theories of those people influence the text?
- How much of Perrin's dissertation work is revealed, followed, or departed from in his later work?
- How widely used were Porter's Writer's Guide, Reference Handbook, Index, and Guide used?
- Besides Kitzhaber, what other dissertations did Perrin direct, if any, and what other working relationships did he have the influenced the field of composition and rhetoric?
- What other information about Perrin's work in the field is important and relevant?

Timetable (guessing!)
Feb. 24: Request available known texts from Illiad
Mar. 3: Begin connections table and commonplace book (for example, collect Connors's references to Perrin from Composition-Rhetoric). Begin trace/documentation of Perrin's chronology.
Mar. 10: Have notes collected from first 9 Perrin texts received (4 on hand, 5 on hold as of 3/1). Have contacted librarians, schedule meetings at SU and Colgate, attempt online "meeting" with librarian at UW. Have contacted English department chair at UW for assistance as well.
Mar. 24: Write a response/comment to Perrin's dissertation. Construct a short essay describing what I think Perrin's work meant, what was important to him, etc., based on what I find in his work (aka, draft answers to research questions). Have preliminary outline of introduction. Have draft of chronology of Perrin's life and work, and table of connections.
Mar. 31: Separate "do" from "plan" in writing
Apr. 7: Draft of introduction and plan ready for submission.

This may seem thin still, but it's a different type of project, so these are sort of benchmarks to get to a draft. The real work, it seems to me, comes after the draft.

cross-posted to DawgNotes