Research: Research Facilities

The Ohio State University Libraries

Library and research facilities at Ohio State are excellent for most programs of literary instruction and research. The University Libraries contain 4.5 million volumes and another 3 million in microform. Strong in all areas of English and American literature, the Libraries also hold many of the original papers of Samuel Beckett, Nelson Algren, Jack London, and James Thurber. In addition, the main library has especially wide holdings in 19th-Century American fiction and has funding to develop comparable holdings in 20th-Century American fiction; these holdings, the William Charvat Collection, are named for a former professor in the department who conducted pioneering research into the history of American publishing. Open stacks and a computer-retrieval system facilitate research for both students and faculty.

The Main Library provides a special reading area for graduate students in English where reserve books, current journals, and essential research texts are kept.

The Ohio State Libraries Home Page: http://www.lib.ohio-state.edu/

Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies

The Center provides a focus for interdepartmental Medieval and Renaissance scholarship. It usually conducts one or two interdisciplinary graduate seminars each year (recent topics have included Erasmus, the World of Islam, and the Courtly Lyric), and sponsors conferences and lectures. It also offers several Graduate Research or Teaching Associateships for advanced graduate students.

Further information may be obtained from the Director of the Medieval and Renaissance Center, Richard Green, or visit the CMRS Web site: http://cmrs.osu.edu/

Center for Folklore Studies

The Center offers graduate students opportunities for interdisciplinary study with faculty from various departments. The Folklore Archive, which is part of the Center, is available for graduate student research and for training in archiving. The Folklore Center also sponsors lectures, conferences, and symposia, and coordinates other folklore activities throughout the University.

For more information, contact the Director of the Center for Folklore Studies, Dorothy Noyes, or visit the Center's Web site: http://cfs.osu.edu/

Center for the Study and Teaching of Writing

The Center is committed to developing the writing ability of Ohio State students, to supporting the efforts of all faculty and staff who teach writing and writing-related skills, and to providing writing services to the broader Ohio community. The new Center seeks to respond to five major mandates: to coordinate all general education writing courses; to provide ongoing consulting, tutuoring, and support services to all students and faculty, partially through the completion of an online writing consultancy; to sponsor cross-disciplinary courses on writing; to develop interdisciplinary research on writing; and to develop school, community, and employer outreach programs. For more information, contact the Director of the Center for the Study and Teaching of Writing, Beverly Moss, or visit the Center's Web site: http://cstw.osu.edu/

Institute for Collaborative Research and Public Humanities

The Institute promotes interdisciplinary collaborative research among humanists both within and outside the College of Humanities through a faculty fellowship program, a varied program of formal and informal presentations organized around an annual topic, and a regular cross-departmental theory colloquium for graduate students. For more information, contact the Director of the Institute, Christian Zacher, or visit the Institute's Web site: http://icrph.osu.edu/.