Question Paper Topic The research paper assigned for this class gives the stu

Paper Topic
The research paper assigned for this class gives the student the opportunity to explore in depth a single work of art. The work of art may come from any medium, any era and any culture. See below for examples.
Submission
You must submit the paper to the course Turnitin no later than Sunday 11:59 PM EST/EDT of Module 6.
Bibliography
Your bibliography must include at least five sources, two of which must be books. If you use the Internet when looking for information, make certain that the sources you use are legitimate and trustworthy. Dictionaries, the textbook for this class and general encyclopedias may be used, but should not be counted in your five required sources.
Style
You are required to use the MLA style. Information about MLA is available under the Resources section in the course menu.
Presentation
This paper is to consist of at least 1,000 words of text. The title, page numbers, endnotes, footnotes and bibliography do not count as text. The paper should be double-spaced. Margins should equal one inch. A title page is not required. Remember that this is a graded paper and it should appear neat, orderly and professional.
Common Problems
Proofread your paper for misspellings, grammatical errors and missing or incorrectly labeled cites. Do not use contractions, such as won’t, can’t or shouldn’t. Avoid using slang and informal expressions. Standardized how many spaces you leave after periods and when beginning a new paragraph.
Quotes
Limit your use of quotes to those instances where it is absolutely necessary for clarifying a point. Long quotes (usually for 5 typewritten lines) should be kept to minimum and should be single-spaced and indented. Give proper credit for both indirect and direct quotes. Failure to do so will be considered plagiarism.
Help
Please contact the instructor if you have any questions, problems, or concerns.
Grading Standards for Essays
It is important for you to have an understanding of what constitutes an A, B, C, D, or F paper. Below are some common characteristics that may help you to understand the differences in grades.
A. Outstanding Work. An A paper presents interesting, insightful ideas. It exhibits a mature level of thought (that is, exhibits the ability to draw inferences and make analogies which show insight into the topic). There is a clear focus (thesis, controlling idea) which is developed in an organized, concise, logical manner. Unified and coherent paragraphs include specific, relevant supporting evidence and examples. Sentences are varied and well constructed. Word choices are precise, fresh, and vivid. There are virtually no errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, or usage. Research, if used, is thorough, accurately documented, and effectively integrated.
Note: Often the A paper is distinguished from the B paper by a more assured prose style, more creativity in form or content, more subtlety in rhetorical strategy.
B. Good Work. A B paper demonstrates a thoughtful, solid understanding of the subject. Although ideas are interesting, they tend to lack originality or insight. Focus is clear and content well organized, but paragraphs may be slightly underdeveloped or need more support. Most sentences are varied and well constructed. Word choice is generally appropriate. Although there may be some minor errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, or usage, none of these problems is glaring or highly distracting. Research may not be as thorough, appropriately documented, or effectively integrated as an A paper.
C. Adequate Work. A C paper is an average paper, presenting ideas that may be obvious or unexceptional. It is generally clear throughout, but some information may be general or repetitious. It has a clear thesis with some concrete details and examples. The essay is somewhat developed and organized. Paragraph breaks may not always correspond to shifts in topic. Sentence structure is adequate but undistinguished and can be repetitive or awkward with imprecise or inappropriate word choices. Errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling or usage may distract the reader but do not prevent comprehension. Research may not be appropriately used or effectively integrated.
D. Poor Work. A D paper tends to lack insight and interesting ideas. Focus is often confusing or not easily identified. The essay is usually undeveloped and poorly organized. Paragraph breaks can be arbitrary. Statements are unsupported, repetitive, or irrelevant. Sentence structure and word choice may be inaccurate, confusing, or awkward. There are many grammar, punctuation, spelling, and usage errors. Research is poorly documented and ineffectively used to develop the paper.
F. Unacceptable Work. An F paper presents simplistic, inappropriate, or incoherent ideas and lacks focus. It tends to be undeveloped and disorganized. Paragraphs are incoherent, and paragraph breaks often do not correspond to shifts in topic. Statements are unsupported, repetitive, or irrelevant. Sentence structure and word choice are inaccurate, confusing, or awkward. There are many grammar, punctuation, spelling, and usage errors that often prevent comprehension. Research is not evident, or sources are undocumented, i.e., plagiarized. The paper does not meet the requirements of the assignment (adapted from Pace University).
Possible Topics
If you are interested in Criminology…
Investigate the theft or “appropriation” of a work of art or artifact. Famous stolen items include: Leonardo da Vinci’s The Mona Lisa (1911), van Eyck’s Panels from the Ghent Altarpiece (1934), Last Judgment triptych by Memling (1473) and several paintings by Munch [two versions of The Scream (1994 and 2004), Madonna (2004), and Blue Dress (2005)].
In a similar vein, you may wish to consider what happens to art/architecture/artifacts in times of war.
Many works have been looted in times of war. Napoleon and Hitler especially were especially bad about this, although stealing art has always been a feature of war. The Crusaders preferred the term “liberated,” rather than stole, when they took items from Near Eastern churches and transported them back to churches in Europe.
Some collectors, greedy to get their hands on works of art at a discounted price, spirited endangered artists out of dangerous situations, but only in return for their art. Peggy Guggenheim, founder of the Guggenheim Museum in New York, was notorious for this. Among others, she helped Masson, Breton, Chagall and Ernst escape the Nazis – but only if they paid their passage in art.
When a country is occupied, such as Greece by the Turks in the 1800’s, or is ruled by an unscrupulous leader, such as Iraq by Saddam Hussein, many artifacts are stolen, illegally purchased or sold on the black market. This is how Elgin’s Marbles (Greek sculptures from the Acropolis) came to reside in London. The bulk of African art and artifacts in Western museums today was looted during the 1800’s by colonial powers such as Britain, France, and Spain. Other works, like Nefertiti’s head, were smuggled out of the country of their origin, Egypt in this case, by morally-challenged archaeologists. This was especially prevalent during the early days of archaeology.
When Hitler came into power, he ordered that all “degenerate art” from Germany (and later other conquered territories) be rounded up and ultimately sold. Over 17,000 works of art by such artists as Picasso, Matisse, Klee, Kandinsky, Mondrian, Renoir, Degas, Cézanne, and Van Gogh were eventually seized. A good paper idea would be to consider Hitler’s criteria for good art and his understanding of bad or “degenerate” art using one work of art.
A couple of informative sources:
Nicholas, Lynn H. The Rape of Europa. New York: Vintage Books, 1995.
Saz Productions. Art Theft – Most Wanted Art. 1998-2005. August 14, 2005. http://www.saztv.com/.
If you are interested in science…
Discover the techniques art restorers use to identify problems in paintings, sculptures, or buildings. How do they prevent more problems from occurring (conservation) and repair problems that have already occurred without changing the work of art? Are the restorations successful? Well known examples of works that have undergone restoration are: the Laocoon statue group, Michelangelo’s the Sistine Chapel Ceiling, Michelangelo’s David, and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Falling Water (Kauffman House).
Possible topics in this vein include:
What have engineers and architects learned from the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center?
Sometimes scientific knowledge is used for ill when unscrupulous people make forgeries of works of art. Discuss one such forgery and how it was discovered.
Using a single work by Mozart, discuss the “Mozart Effect” and its validity.
Colors have long been known to have an effect on human perceptions and emotions. Using one painting, discuss color theory. You may choose a monochromatic painting (such as anything from Picasso’s Blue Period) or an analogous color scheme painting (van Gogh made several) or a complementary color scheme painting (Cezanne).
Using one work of art, discuss how a fresco painting is made and what chemical reactions take place to ensure the painting will last for centuries. Famous fresco paintings can be found on the island of Crete in the Minoan palace of Knossos. Famous fresco painters were Raphael, Michelangelo, and Diego Rivera.
Underwater archaeology is often the nexus where science, art history, and politics meet. Using, one work of art, discuss what challenges underwater archaeologists face.
Discuss a major event in an artist’s life that is visible or presaged in one of his/her works of art. Each of these artists struggled with depression and ultimately committed suicide: Arshile Gorky, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Mark Rothko and Vincent van Gogh. Frida Kahlo (1907-1954) was involved in a horrible traffic accident that caused her a lifetime of pain and other health complications. The Impressionist painter Edgar Degas, who became increasingly blind as he aged, switched to pastels and sculpture to compensate for his loss of vision. Goya went deaf as a result of a serious illness in his elder years. Modigliani, a Jewish artist from Italy, died in Paris as a result of drug addiction and tuberculosis. His lover killed herself two days after his funeral. She was nearly nine months pregnant.