Experiential Learning and the Value of Novice Scholars: Victorian Short Fiction and the Periodical Market

Abstract: This essay argues that periodical research provides an excellent opportunity to involve undergraduate students in scholarly studies of Victorian short fiction. It outlines a research assignment that leads students through a process of identifying short stories published in periodicals and preparing annotated transcriptions of them for inclusion in a peer-reviewed digital anthology. This process brings together principles of implementing undergraduate primary source research along with experiential learning to provide a means of translating the skill sets we teach in humanities courses to life beyond the academy.