Tools for English Majors

Research Skills Matrix

All English majors at St. Olaf College should complete their major with a basic competency in dealing with secondary sources on three levels.

Students should be able to:

  1. Evaluate resources (determine whether they are reliable)
  2. Analyze resources (engage with a critical argument)
  3. Incorporate resources (make them part of their ideas and arguments in a paper)

Students will complete assignments that address the Research Skills Matrix at Levels I, II and III of the English major:

  1. In English 185 at least one assignment will introduce students to skill levels 1 and 2 (above)
  2. Courses in the "Historical" and "Cross-Cultural" categories will re-visit skill levels 1 and 2 in the context of an assignment which leads to a paper
  3. Level III literature courses will utilize skills at all levels in a substantive paper-writing assignment