The Gerald Scott Cawelti Papers, dating from c. 1954 to 2017, are arranged into seven series and encompass Cawelti’s professional career at the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) as well as his journalism work. Cawelti’s original folder titles were retained (when possible), with additional information in brackets added by the collection processor.

Series 1, Personal Records, is comprised almost exclusively of papers and notes from Cawelti’s time as a graduate student, As such, these materials are restricted until 2090. However, one item, a poem written by Frederick S. Perls, is not restricted and is open for research.

Series 2, Administrative Records, contains a variety of papers related to Cawelti’s professional work, along with his department work in the Department of Languages and Literatures. Represented are United Faculty materials, LIT faculty meetings, minutes and documents from the General Education Committee (later the Liberal Arts Core Committee), and the Faculty Governance Committee. Types of materials include correspondence, reports, policies, minutes, agendas, and course reviews / proposals. The series covers a variety of subjects such as goals for literature students, alumni surveys, faculty emeritus policy, courses, United Faculty Constitution and By-Laws, and academic freedom. Many items include handwritten annotations. The materials pertaining to Cawelti’s professional work contain correspondence about publications and some copies of his scholarly publications. This series also contains copies of Cross-Over: The Writing Across The Curriculum Newsletter.

The third series, Course / Classroom Materials, is arranged alphabetically and then chronologically by course, which was the collection’s initial arrangement by its earlier processors. The materials consist primarily of syllabi, assignment prompts, exam information, seating charts consisting of photographs of students, and Cawelti’s exam keys. Also included is material used in Cawelti’s “The Erotic in Film and Literature” seminar, the bulk of which consists of pornographic / erotic videos, along with a handful of books. Additionally, there are course packets for “Seminar Rhetoric and Nonfiction Film” (Spring 2005); “Film Theory and Criticism” (Spring 2005, 2006, Fall 2007); “Film and Literature (Fall 2002); “Theory and Practice of Writing” (Fall 2001, 2005); and “American Civilization” (Fall 1997). The inventory goes into greater detail regarding which classes are represented in the series.

Series 4 consists of materials related to the Student as Critic Conference, hosted by UNI. High school and college students attended the conference, which focused on rewarding “sound thinking and writing” by Iowa students. Students entered essay competitions, led discussions, and more. The series includes conference schedules; winning essay information; financial records; correspondence covering conference ideas, logistical details, essay submissions, conference attendees and their topics, etc.; press releases; registration forms; and more. Many items have handwritten annotations. The arrangement created by the collection’s original processors was maintained for this series, with contents organized by year and subject.

The fifth series, Brother’s Blood, contains materials Cawelti used and consulted while writing his book, Brother’s Blood: A Heartland Cain and Abel. It includes many sources from the Mark family murder case, inculding trial transcripts (numbering over 2,500 pages), copies of crime scene photographs, and police interviews, along with news clippings covering various aspects of the case. Please note that some of the news articles, due to their size, are only available digitally. Also represented are aspects of Cawelti’s research and writing process, such as his book project log, a timeline, and correspondence regarding book draft suggestions and critiques. Finally, it includes assorted miscellaneous documents, such as memos, notes, statements, an ammunition record, and a family statement. Much of Series 5 includes content that may contain graphic information. Please consult the inventory below for specific content warnings.

Series 6, Journalism, consists primarily of Cawelti’s columns and op-eds written largely for the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, though a small number of pieces were written for other newspapers. These materials date from 1981; and 2001-2017. Also included are a few items written by other UNI faculty. Topics covered encompass politics, including the 2008 and 2016 U.S. presidential elections; Cedar Valley issues; “Lunch With a Leader”; religion; literature; and issues concerning UNI. A few files relate to Cawelti’s limerick contests from 2004 and 2008, during which readers could submit their own political-themed limerick for the chance to be printed in Cawelti’s column. These files contain a mix of readers’ submissions and related pieces of correspondence. Additionally, the series includes correspondence from other Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier staff, along with a number of letters from readers offering their opinion on a Cawelti column. Processor’s note: due to the conditions of the newspapers upon their arrival at Rod Library, the original newsprint was photocopied onto acid-free, archival paper for preservation purposes, and the originals recycled.

The final series, Publications and Research, is a mix of correspondence, published and draft pieces, research notes, articles, columns, and materials from conferences at which Cawelti presented, which highlight some of his research areas. It also includes a handful of textbooks Cawelti wrote, along with some items published by others.

Additionally, this collection contains web content captured using the web archiving tool, Archive-It. To view this content, please visit the Scott Cawelti web archive.