Faculty Lead: Dr. J. Peter Moore

Fields: Art and Design, Printmaking

This independent study runs during the second 8-weeks of each semester and offers students a hands-on introduction to the Honors College PrintBay, a fully equipped center for the experiential study of letterpress printing. Letterpress is an analog process that allows the user to physically compose layouts, and work within a completely unique set of visual constraints. The resulting prints testify to the beauty of irregularity, the joy of a meditative tactile practice, and the benefits of collaboration. Students will receive instruction in the following skills: grid layout, typesetting, form lock-up, make-ready, press operation, plate etching, press maintenance, and all relevant safety precautions. No previous experience necessary.

Lead Faculty: Pedro Bassoe, Assistant Professor, Japanese Department

Fields: Art History, Print Culture, Literature

Dr. Bassoe will work with students to identify, purchase, catalog, and eventually exhibit a collection of illustrated Japanese books from the 19th and 20th centuries. The first year of the project would involve acquiring books and creating a database, with an exhibition to follow in the 2024-25 academic year.

Lead Faculty: Michael Johnston, Associate Professor, Department of English

Fields: English, Medieval Studies, History of the Book

Dr. Johnston is producing a catalogue and set of essays about the manuscripts of The Prick of Conscience, which was the most popular English verse text from the Middle Ages. With 128 surviving copies, these manuscripts offer evidence about the history of literary production and reading from fourteenth- and fifteenth-century England.