ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY
RESEARCH PAPER
The research paper is due at 6 pm MAY 13. No late papers will be accepted and no iincompletes will be given. It may cover any artist, medium, or period covered in the course.
A research paper is defined by Sylvan Barnet in Chapter Ten of "A Short Guide to Writing about Art" this way:
Because a research paper requires its writer to collect the available evidence - usually including the opinions of earlier investigators - one sometimes hears that a research paper, unlike a critical essay, is not the expression of personal opinion. But such a view is unjust both to criticism and to research. A critical essay is not a mere expression of personal opinion; to be any good it must offer evidence that supports the opinions, thus persuading the reader of their objective rightness. And a research paper is largely personal because the author continuously uses his or her own judgement to evaluate the evidence, deciding what is relevant and convincing. A research paper is not merely an elaborately footnoted presentation of what a dozen scholars have already said about a topic; it is a thoughtful evaluation of the available evidence, and so it is, finally, an expression of what the author thinks the evidence adds up to.
Minimum length of the text, not including illustrations, should be ten single-spaced, numbered pages, using no larger than 12 point type.
Use lots of illustrations to make yourself clear. Xerox reproductions are fine. There are many on-line sources, listed in the LINKS page, for downloading fair to good quality jpeg's to illustrate your paper.
The paper should be a synthesis of the class discussions, the texts, and your research. It should be a critical paper. It should not include personal anecdotes and no personal likes or dislikes.
You must locate, view, and evaluate at least one actual work (not a reproduction) by the artist or artists in question. The actual physical properties of the work such as size, surface texture, color should be carefully noted.
Sources for viewing original photographic prints are: Crocker Art Museum, ViewPoint Gallery, California State Library in Sacramento; in San Francisco, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Fraenkel Gallery, Koch Gallery, Shapiro Gallery, SF CameraWork Gallery.
The Crocker Art Museum collection includes prints by Callahan, L. Connor, Cunningham, Emerson, Frank, Frith, Hill & Adamson, Josephson, Kertesz, Metzger, Nagatani, Seeley, Siskind, W.E. Smith, H.H. Smith, Steichen, Stieglitz, Teske, Uelsmann, Watkins, Weston, White.
Evaluate and write using concepts and terms from the synthesized material, that is, critical thinking. Do not include biographical material except where absoluteluy relevant to the work being evaluated.
Researching the History of Photography in the CSUS Library is a guide prepared by Alicia Patrice, our Fine Arts Librarian.
Please be aware that plagiarism will not be tolerated. You are encouraged to review the Plagiarism Information for CSUS Students and
Faculty page on the CSUS web site.
RESEARCH PAPER OUTLINE
A research paper OUTLINE is due MARCH 4. It should include:
The artist, artists, medium, or period covered.
The historical significance of your subject.
The medium or media used.
The time period covered.
A citation of an original work that you have seen and where it is located.
The historical and artistic influences on the subject.
The subsequent historical and artistic influences of the subject.
A list of works to be illustrated, always using the PROPER IDENTIFICATION.
A bibliography.
A webliography.
A brief summary of what you intend to show in your paper.
Please consult the Barnet text section on photography, pp. 86 - 96.
RESEARCH PAPER CHECKLIST
The following is an adapted version of the questions that appear at the beginning of the text by Sylvan Barnet, "A Short Guide to Writing about Art."
Is the title of the essay informative and interesting?
Is the opening paragraph interesting, and by its end does it focus on the topic?
Is each work of art identified as precisely as possible (artist, title, date, medium)?
Are photocopies of works included?
Is the point (thesis) stated soon enough - perhaps even in the title - and is it kept in view?
Is the organization reasonable and clear?
Does each point lead to the next without irrelevancies?
Is each paragraph unified by a topic sentence or topic idea?
Do transitions connect the paragraphs?
Are generalizations and assertions about personal responses supported by evidence - by references to concrete details in the work?
Are the sentences concise, clear, and emphatic? Are needless words and inflated language eliminated?
Is the concluding paragraph conclusive without being repetitive?
Area the dates and quotations accurate?
Is credit given to sources?
Are quotations introduced adequately, so that the reader understands why each on is offered?
Are the long quotations really necessary? Can some be shortened or summarized in my own words?
Are the titles of works of art underlined?
Are the footnotes and bibliographic references in the proper form?
Have I defined unfamiliar terms?
Has the essay been proofread?