Students pursuing Tulane’s popular Documentary Literary Studies certificate learn to handle and process such materials as medieval biblical manuscripts dating to the 14th century; oral and visual records of the fascinating history of New Orleans jazz; and the letters of prominent African-American poets from the Harlem Renaissance.
The Documentary Literary Studies certificate is one of the most successful areas of graduate study in the Department of English. Advanced undergraduates and Master’s students are given the opportunity to work as interns in Tulane’s rare books and manuscripts archives, where they develop both physical and digital research portfolios and exhibitions of some of Tulane’s treasures.
One of Tulane’s treasures is a rare Pennyroyal Caxton Bible that Bruce and Suzie Kovner gave to the university in 2014. The deluxe two-volume edition of the King James Version of the Bible is bound in vellum, printed on handmade paper and adorned with intricate engraved illustrations.
Students enrolled in the certificate program help to curate exhibits in Jones Hall, the home of Tulane’s Rare Books collection, and design electronic finding aids and online displays of digital surrogates of rare books and manuscripts at Tulane. These finding aids and displays entice local and global visitors to experience—on site and over the Internet—the wealth of Tulane’s ancient and modern archival holdings.