AAH 370: The Arts of Ancient Mesoamerica

Write a 4-page research paper.

• Final topics must be approved by me. If your topic is too broad I will ask you to narrow it.
• Papers will be assessed based on the rubric below (scroll down).
• Papers must be written in Microsoft Word or in Google Docs and then converted to Microsoft Word (.docx).
• Use Times New Roman (12 point font), 1.5 line spacing with 1" margins; left-margin justified.
• Tip any digitized illustration(s) into your paper as described in D'Alleva's Look! (116).
• Your illustrations should appear after the text of your paper but before the reference list.
• Cite  illustrations according to CMOS (18th ed.), Chapters 14:133 (artworks) and 14:134 (exhibition catalogs)
• Illustrations and References do not count toward the 4-page requirement.
• Do not use AI in any way, shape or form (see syllabus).

A research paper is not

• an encyclopedia article.
• an editorial or opinion piece.
• a book review.
• a summary of the literature on your topic.

An art history research paper is your original analysis of an artwork or corpus in consultation with the secondary literature. Think ambitiously. I want to hear your voice.

Your goal is to advance a coherent and provable thesis supported by a work of art or corpus from ancient Mesoamerica. I neither expect you to solve problems with which scholars continue to grapple nor to have a full grasp of the secondary literature. You can, however, reasonably identify and incorporate into your analysis the work of four Mesoamerican art historians and related scholars.

Your thesis is unlikely to emerge fully formed in a single profound insight. Instead it will come from engagement with artworks and secondary sources. "The thesis will emerge from the process of research" (D'Alleva 2010, 97). Using the analogy of panning for gold, D'Alleva expresses this sentiment in a different way: "We have to sift through a lot of stuff before we come up with the valuable nugget we want" (97). This is a short research paper. Your prose must therefore work double time in service of the thesis. I recommend making an outline and sticking to it. "This will help you to stay on track, even if you end up changing and modifying your ideas as you write" (103). For additional guidance in formulating your thesis and writing your paper:

• Re-read "Writing Art-History Papers," Chapter 4 of Look! by D'Alleva (assigned for Week 2); and
• Read Dr. Patrick Hajovsky's brief Guide for Writing in Art History (Southwestern University)

As you know, information literacy (IL) is an important component of this course. Grades for the research paper are based not only on the quality of the writing and argument but also on your ability to find, evaluate, and property cite academically credible and relevant sources of information. We practiced those skills in the preceding IL assignments.

• The completed research paper must be accompanied by a reference list—not annotated—that incorporates four (4) highly relevant and scholarly secondary sources.
• I am looking for quality and relevance in your sources, not quantity.
• Sources for the research paper are exclusive of the tertiary sources listed on the Reference Shelf page of this libguide. In other words, if you include in your reference list a scholarly encyclopedia article it will not count toward your four sources. Our textbook and other assigned readings will also not count toward the minimum number of four sources.
• Sources for the research paper should consist of scholarly books, particularly exhibition catalogs; edited volumes (chapters in books); and peer-reviewed journal articles.

Outcomes: This assignment combines competencies addressed and practiced earlier in the semester including Information Literacy (e.g., see yourself as beginning to contribute to the scholarly conversation); Global Perspectives (e.g., understand the socio-political contexts and philosophies that underpin Mesoamerican art); and Literary, Visual & Performing Arts (e.g., analyze how Mesoamerican artworks exalted the nobility).

Due date: May 16 (upload to Canvas before midnight)