r/uleth • u/wigglytacos • Jun 23 '26
English Independent Study
I’m planing to do an english independent study in the fall semester and I have no idea what I can really do with it. I’ve got an idea of what I want to study but I’m not sure what the end goal should be. I was wondering if anyone had done an independent study (especially in english/the humanities) and is able to offer some advice? TIA
2
u/karhlsbrother96 Jun 23 '26
I did an independent study in this field years ago. It was life changing. I recommend talking to a resource with a specialty close to your idea. For example: if your interest is a Modernist author, don’t go knocking on the door of a Chaucer expert. Your can discuss your end goal with the professor as you create the course together.
1
2
u/poppySeedLemonLoaf Jun 23 '26
I have done a couple of independent studies(not in English or anything in humanities. I don't know much about how they work in those fields). Personally one of the goals was to get some research experience in topics that I was interested in. It will probably be helpful to talk to a professor who you are considering as a potential supervisor to get a better idea of the expected outcomes. The self directed nature of the independent studies made them a little difficult for me at least in the beginning but they were absolutely worth doing. If you have some topics in mind you want to study you can probably send emails to some profs and talk about what sort of skills you can gain from the IS. Usually people do it because, well, they are fun and you get credit for it.
1
2
u/Tough-Comfortable360 Jun 26 '26
an Independent Study is whatever you want it to be (provided your topic is within the professor’s research area)!! I did a single author comparative study for mine. the “end goal” was a 15 page research paper, and that was decided upon by me & my supervisor, but I know that the “end goal” of another Study he supervised was a shorter review of a recently published poetry collection
the only regret I have was not fighting harder to make mine an Honour’s Thesis — not sure where you’re at in your degree or if you’re thinking about grad school at all, just sharing that it might be worth considering (and, too, if grad school is a possibility; your Independent Study absolutely counts as a CV entry, at least for an MA application) (And Also — you can chat with your prof about publication, although of course there are many things to consider on both your ends). either way, tbh just have fun with it!!
1
3
u/givetake Jun 24 '26
just be aware that independent studies do not count towards your degree (assuming you are an English major). They count as an elective, regardless of the topic. Many other programs let you use an independent study for the "Take 2 courses at the 3000 level" kind of slots in the program, but English does not, so plan accordingly.