Academic RESEARCH PAPER project Art 150 • Fall 2017
Art 150 • academic research project • page 1 of 3
about the academic research paper (25%)
Students are required to research and write a 2,000 to 2,500-word academic paper that explores the cultural uses of photography or photographs in Western society during the 19th, 20th, or 21st century. The essay needs to discuss (or “argue”) a particular point. I encourage you to come up with your own topic as it relates to your academic or personal interests. I am happy to help you formulate your topic. Additionally, the essay will refer to a specific photograph (or photographs) as your proof or as a case study. Relevant theories or theorists will also be brought in to assist in your discussion. The format for the assignments and final essay, as well as the rubrics, will be posted on D2L.
steps & due dates
Grade weight
Due date
(dropbox on D2L)
Step 1
o Pre-library assignment (preliminary research of topic)
5% 18 Oct. by 5pm
Step 2
o Library assignment (continuing the pre- library assignment)
10% 23 Oct. by 5pm
Step 3
o Pre-read essay (optional) if you can give me a finished copy of your essay (title page, essay with footnotes, images and image list, bibliography), I will look it over and give you feedback on the structure and content; you can work on the paper to strengthen it and then submit it to be graded.
0%
hand in a hard copy
20 Nov. in class (not D2L)
Step 4 o Final essay 25% 29 Nov. by 5pm
Academic RESEARCH PAPER project Art 150 • Fall 2017
Art 150 • academic research project • page 2 of 3
Step 1: “Pre-library” assignment (5%): choosing your topic & researching
due in D2L dropbox: 18 October by 5pm
The pre-library assignment is your preliminary work for your research paper, namely,
(1) selecting or formulating an essay topic
(2) conducting some initial research to see if there is enough academic information for your proposed essay topic
To select a topic—or find background information—look to these sources in our library
For a general history of photography o Frizot, Michel. A New History of Photography. Köln: Könemann, 1998. o Hirsch, Robert. Seizing the Light: A History of Photography. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2000. o Rosenblum, Naomi. A World History of Photography. New York: Abbeville Press Publishers, 2007.
For a social history of photography o Marien, Mary Warner. Photography: A Cultural History. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2002. o Wells, Liz. Photography: A Critical Introduction. London/New York: Routledge, 2000.
Initial research
o Conduct some basic academic research on your topic using the Camosun library & online sources.
o Try to find at least 5 relevant and useful sources (books, ebooks, journal articles, reference books
and websites). You don’t need to have access to the books or articles just yet.
o Create a bibliography of your sources and format it using Chicago Manual of Style (Turabian) for notes and bibliography; Link to : http://camosun.ca.libguides.com/Chicago-17thEd
NOTE: You may consult Wikipedia but don’t cite it in your bibliography. Also, do not cite my lecture material, regular dictionaries, videos/DVDs, television shows, Youtube, etc.
Document format for the “pre-library” assignment
-1” margins on each side; single space; use one font family and one size; font colour is black. -remove ghosting from cut and pasted information (use “clear formatting”); -have page numbers beginning on page 2 (do not have a number on your title page).
Academic RESEARCH PAPER project Art 150 • Fall 2017
Art 150 • academic research project • page 3 of 3
Instructions for submitting “pre-library” assignment (format & content)
title page
Title page includes the following information: Pre-library Assignment, Art 150 sec 01, your name & email, instructor name, date handed in
next pages
-In 3 or so sentences, provide a working idea of the essay topic (a working thesis statement): WHAT exactly are you discussing in the essay (that is, what are you going to prove or “argue”) and WHICH photograph(s) will you be using as your proof? -Include photograph(s) you plan to use in the essay. For each image, include the following details next to the image (in this order): title of the photograph (use quotation marks around the title); photographer’s full name, year it was taken; specific medium and size; image source (web address); if it is in a particular collection, name the collection.
last page
On a separate sheet is your Bibliography formatted using Chicago Manual of Style (Turabian) for notes and bibliography; http://camosun.ca.libguides.com/Chicago-17thEd
Advice….
• researching takes time and patience, but if you have a good understanding of your essay topic and the question(s) you are trying to answer, your research time can be greatly reduced.
For an example of the pre-Library Assignment, see the example on D2L
