Art History Research Paper (1945~ artists)

Ahs 182

Visual Art and Visual Theory After 1945

Summer 2017

Assignment 2: 1000 Word Research Paper

1. Choose an artist after whose work dates from after 1945 that we have either discussed in class or that relates to course themes.

2. In a minimum of 1000 words, discuss the work of this artist, including at least one formal analysis (see separate handout).

3. Research is REQUIRED

a. You may use relevant readings from class, but you must also conduct further research in the library or online.

b. In addition to any course texts, your paper must include at least three academic and/or scholarly sources.

Upload your completed paper to iLearn and submit a hard copy at the beginning of class on Tuesday, July 18.

Citation: all sources must be properly cited according to Chicago Manual of Style (preferred) or MLA.

Use footnotes or endnotes to cite sources at the end of sentences. If citing multiple ideas from a single source, cite your source at the end of the paragraph.

When citing a source for the first time, provide its full citation (this is the form for your footnotes/endnotes, bibliographies use a different form):

1. Michael Pollan, The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals (New York: Penguin, 2006), 99–100.

For repeated citations from the same source, use a shortened form of citation: Author last name, Short title, page number:

2. Pollan, Omnivore’s Dilemma, 3.

Check the Chicago Manual of Style Quick Guide

http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html

Or for more involved questions, the electronic version of the Chicago Manual of Style, which you can access through the library: http://library.ucr.edu/onesearch/chicago%20manual%20of% 20style

Preparation and Writing Tips:

Be sure to put your name on your paper, number the pages, and staple it.

Make sure your paper has a clear, compelling thesis that is supported with evidence.

How do you plan to organize your essay? You can start with your overall impression and then draw out key details and quotes that support it or, conversely, you may wish to carefully observe and describe the images and then build your overall analysis or argument from that.

Think about what facts or information your reader needs in order to follow what you are saying.

Are there any counter-arguments to your ideas that you can anticipate in advance? If so, try to refute them.

Be sure to include the artist, title, and date of each artwork you mention in the body of your essay.

The first time you mention an artist, author, or any other person, always use the full name; afterwards use last name only. Italicize or underline image titles and give the date after the title, in parentheses, unless otherwise integrating that information into your text.

To work well, quotes have to be set up carefully and integrated into your own text to support your argument. Please see the separate Handout on Using Quotes Effectively (written by Professor Liz Kotz).

This is a formal writing assignment: write a draft, take a break, then revise it. Get someone else to read your work and provide feedback. Proofread your paper carefully and/or have someone else proofread it.

Grading Criteria Excellent | Very Good | Adequate | Needs Work

Argument

Clear, compelling thesis.

Assertions are backed up

with evidence.

Description of Image

Accurate, detailed description,

with strong sense of key

elements of the picture

Analysis

Builds on description to

develop a larger formal analysis

of the image

Use of Quotes

Grapples effectively with key

issues from chosen texts; well-

chosen quotes integrated

effectively into essay

Overall Writing

Clear concise grammatically

correct writing that is not wordy

or repetitive. Focused, well-organized,

coherent essay with a logical flow.