Guidelines - Students need to read thoroughly and consult as needed throughout the semester:
1) Follow this format: 12 pt. font, double-spaced, with the correct use of source referencing as necessary (any style guidelines - MLA, APA, Chicago Manual of Style, etc. are acceptable as long as there is consistency in your source referencing). Do not use overly long or frequent quotations. Inquiry-guided learning is about your critical thinking, original ideas, and personal, yet informed interpretations, not about paraphrases of other writers or information paraphrased from Internet sources.
Submit as a text document in Moodle. Type your name and number of the assignment at the top right-hand corner of the essay.
*Each assignment should be two pages (approximately 500-600 words) for the essay itself (references not included in this word count). The midterm and final exams require 750-800 words (approximately three pages).
2) The textbook provides a general historical and cultural frame of reference for each assignment, and the Internet resources for that unit provide information about art and architecture. Make sure to use the course textbook as your historical reference and make this clear with parenthetical references. For example, a quote or information gathered from the book - (Neal, 24). Do not rely too heavily on Internet resources to compose your assignments and exams. One or two quick Internet references to introduce your chosen work of art are all that are needed. Do not cut, paste, and paraphrase Internet resources in your assignments and exams. If you do use outside works for reference, make sure you account for them. Do not regurgitate information that everyone already knows; try to be original in your discussion of the topic and the analysis of your chosen work of art.
IMPORTANT NOTE: It is not difficult for me to distinguish the difference between your thoughts and writing and those of professional writers or drawn from AI platforms. An honor code violation of this sort will automatically result in a failing grade for the course in consultation with the Office of Student Conduct. There is no need to plagiarize to succeed in this course.
3) Pay attention to good organization and logical transitions between paragraphs. Base your arguments on close readings, give concrete examples, avoid vague impressions. Students should spend at least several hours reading the textbook pages for each unit, locating a work of art to be analyzed, and then preparing an outline. At that point, the first draft can be developed, then revised into a final draft for submission. Thus, a minimum of five hours of work is recommended for each assignment/exam to produce successful work in the course.
4) In your assignments, you should give a general overview of the topic, using the textbook for historical points of reference, and then undertake a personal, original, and detailed analysis of the artistic and aesthetic characteristics of a particular work of French art/architecture/cultural artifact [literary and musical works of art are excluded from this category] the length of which should comprise at least one- third of the essay. Your chosen work of art may come from an on-line resource, scanned material from a book, or an actual work you have seen in person.
5) Try to show how the general can be seen in the particular, keeping in mind that you are demonstrating the unique relationship between art and society. Use your analytical microscope to illustrate how the general social and historical background is embedded in the artistic details of the chosen work of art; show how artistic elements (in a painting for example: composition, color, line, space, shapes, etc.) are used to create content and meaning. Color especially is a quintessential element of a painting and helps to communicate the work's meaning in a concrete way. As you prepare your assignments and exams, your goal is to relate the textbook reading to your research on artistic material and cultural information into a synthetic whole.
6) When you do analyze a work of art, you should discuss some specific aspects of it and relate this analysis to your general discussion of the assignment topic. For example - if you choose Notre Dame de Paris as your work of architecture - you should give a brief general description of the cathedral and then focus in on a particular portion of it - for example - a stained glass panel, a stone sculpture, a carved image on the wooden choir stall, a statue, a gargoyle, etc. and analyze it in some detail. Students may include one image of the work of art under analysis at the end of the essay, although this is not required.
7) You should consult the following for guidance in your analyses of works of art: Questions to Ask of a Work of Art, especially the section "Formal Analysis." Finally, keep in mind NC State's general education guidelines for courses in the visual arts in which students are expected to: deepen their understanding of aesthetic, cultural, and historical dimensions of artistic traditions; strengthen their ability to interpret and make critical judgments about the arts through the analysis of structure, form, and style of specific works; and strengthen their ability to create, recreate, or evaluate art based upon techniques and standards appropriate to the genre.
8) Students are expected to adhere to the inquiry-guided learning format of the course and work independently by following the writing guidelines. The instructor can answer general questions about assignments and exams but does not review drafts of assignments before they are submitted.
9) One could write many more pages on the assignment topics; do not do so as your grade will be reduced accordingly. The goal is to organize your ideas and deliver them in the given length and format in a manner of informative brevity. An essential key to effective writing is to express maximum meaning, with the minimum number of words. The model assignments below demonstrate how this can be done. Here is a possible format to follow, not required, but recommended - The Five-Paragraph Essay - paragraph 1: introduction and thesis; paragraphs 2 & 3: a general discussion of the topic; paragraph 4: analysis of a work; paragraph 5: conclusion to tie together the thesis, general discussion, and analysis. For those who want to review or improve their writing mechanics, The Elements of Style is highly recommended - it is a short, inexpensive, and handy reference. The five-paragraph essay will have to be modified/extended a bit for the midterm and final exams, which are longer than the assignments.
As a header to the assignment, type your last name & assignment number (A-1, A-2, etc. MT for Midterm Exam, Final for Final Exam).
Grading Rubric
Excellent
['A' range: 90-93 = A- / 94-96 = A / 97-100 = A+]
An assignment in the excellent range addresses
the topic assignment,
with the overall goal of achieving a cohesive and integrated balance
between art and society in a historical context,
follows the above
guidelines, and meets
the following criteria:
(I)
Introduction [leads the reader into topic, and ends with a clear thesis];
(II) Analysis [a discussion that supports
and illustrates thesis; analysis
of works when appropriate];
(III)
Organization [discussion easy to follow; one section follows
logically from another];
(IV)
Conclusion [effective summary of the main findings that follow
logically from analysis];
(V)
Quotations [short and well-chosen to support arguments;
integrated well, and presented correctly];
(VI)
Length and Depth [follows length guidelines,
and the topic is covered in enough detail];
(VII)
Information [the content information is correct];
(VIII) Grammar, Spelling, Style, Tone [free
of grammatical errors and
spelling mistakes; readable with appropriate tone].
Very Good ['B'
range: 80-83
= B- / 84-86 = B / 87-89 = B+]
Generally
well written, but weaker
than the excellent essay in one or more areas.
Acceptable ['C' range: 70-73 = C- / 74-76 = C / 77-79 = C+]
Fairly well
written, but weaker than the
very good essay in one or more areas.
Significant Improvement Needed ['D' range: 60-63
= D- / 64-66 = D / 67-69 = D+]
Meets
the minimum requirements.
Unacceptable ['F' range: 0-59]
Fails to meet the criteria with an acceptable level of competence.
Keys to Successful Writing
Complete the reading material [textbook and web resources]; then, reflect on it and make an outline of your ideas; write by hand an initial draft; type the second draft; print, proofread, and edit as necessary; revise final draft and print; proofread once more and then it is ready to send. This is a process vital to successful writing, and this is how you will be evaluated in the course: by your ability to synthesize the content material into short, well-conceived, clearly developed, and cohesive essays. Teach your reader through thoughtful and engaging prose. The assignments are very general topics: choose one or two points of interest to you and creatively develop them. See below some samples of excellent assignments written by students who have previously taken the course.
Examples of Excellent Analyses & Assignments: