ART 330: Contemporary Humanities: Research Paper

Research Topic (5 points): Due by the end of Module 2

In four to six sentences, explain what you would like to research. Once this topic has been approved by the instructor, you may begin on the rest of the assignment. You may choose any topic so long as it relates to the fine or performing arts of the twentieth century. Once the topic has been approved, you may not change your topic. 

The best way for you to devise a topic is to pose questions about subjects that interest you. Why do some of the female faces in Picasso’s paintings resemble African masks? Did existential philosophy influence modern sculpture? What was so controversial about Bob Dylan switching from the acoustic guitar to the electric guitar? What gave rise to the montage in film? These are examples of questions or problems that can lead to a thesis. You should start out by looking into the question you have posed. As you learn more, you should refine the question until a developed problem is conceived. Ideally, your question will be interesting enough to birth a sophisticated paper, yet narrow enough to be manageable.

A great way to pick a topic is to look at the many resources that are available for each module in this LibGuide.  Go ahead and look ahead at all of the modules.  Look at recommended books, articles, videos, and websites for ideas.  

Research Proposal (15 points): Due by the end of Module 3

Once the topic has been approved, the next step is to write a proposal of at least 350 words (1 page). The main purpose of this assignment is to allow you a place to demonstrate that you have identified an issue worthy of consideration and that you know in which direction to take it.  In particular, the proposal should deal with the following:

• A description of the subject: You should briefly discuss the topic you have decided to explore. Explain what is involved in this topic. Define clearly the framework. Focus on the importance of this topic and on your rationale for selecting this topic. Explain how it ties-in with one of the issues we will examine in the course.
• The research question: What is the precise research question you intend to answer in writing your paper? What are the main elements of debate around this question? At this stage, what is your position on this question?
• Identify four scholarly sources available on your subject. Which of these sources do you think will be the most useful (and why).

The common pitfalls to avoid are to propose a question that is either too broad or too narrow, or to suggest a subject that is merely descriptive or where the answer is self-evident and universally agreed upon, or where there is too little scholarly literature available.

A great way to find scholarly sources on your topic is to use the recommended library resources available for each module and on the welcome page.  Don't forget you can ask a librarian for help if you get stuck. 

Sentence Outline (20 points): Due by the end of Module 4

An outline is a road map; it provides direction. A sentence outline, which is composed of complete sentences, can be very helpful when writing an essay because many of the sentences used in the outline can become the essay's topic sentences.

Because this is a sentence outline, you should not write an outline whose entries are single words, short phrases, sentence fragments, or questions. Every entry must be a complete declarative sentence of the sort which might actually appear in your research paper.

This website may help you prepare your outline and provides an example. "How to Outline." Purdue OWL 

Annotated Bibliography (20points): Due by the end of Module 5

You will eventually need eight sources (at a minimum) for the research paper, but at this point only four sources are required to complete the annotated bibliography portion of this assignment. For each source, you will need to write a brief annotation- three to four sentences that summarize the information found in the source and a statement of how it will be useful in your paper – following MLA style. These four sources should be alphabetized according to the last name of the authors.

Take a look at these website links to help with your annotated bibliography.  

Annotated Bibliographies by OWL Purdue

Annotated Bibliographies by Scribbr (this one has the best example of the correct spacing and indenting)

Formatting basics:

 The minimum word count must be at least 2,800 words of text, not counting title or bibliographic information.

 The paper should have a title page, on which appears the title of the paper, your name, the course number, the professor's name, and the date.

 Double-space the text, and use a simple font, such as Times Roman 12 point.

 Number the pages.

Take a look at the MLA formatting examples and videos located on the MLA support page. 

Don't forget you can get help with research from a librarian and writing help from Writing Support.