Compare and Contrast Art History Research
LA 121 Compare and Contrast Research Paper Proposal
The essay proposal is an opportunity to outline the questions that will guide your research. It will help you to focus your ideas as you collect and study your research materials. Once complete, the proposal can be a useful resource to return to when you are drafting your essay. This assignment is meant to help you develop statements about how the two art works you have selected are similar
(compare) and different (contrast). However, your statements may change as you write.
Your proposal should be 1 page in length. It should be typed (not hand written) and you must use complete sentences.
Your outline should do the following:
1. Identify the two art works you selected, the artists, and the period/style o They MUST be from two different periods/styles
2. Give a brief description of the two art works o In a few sentences, describe the subject or theme the artist is depicting
3. Explain why you chose the two art works you did o This may include personal reasons for your selection (why are you drawn to them?) o You can explain why the two art works or artists work together as a compare and contrast exercise, or as a research topic for this class (why are they important?) o You can explain if you see a connection between the two art works (for example, you could chose two works which depict the same subject and you will explore how each artist represented it, or, you could address how certain cultural values or historical events shaped each artist’s work and influenced their individual styles)
4. Provide a thesis statement o Identify the main argument or conclusion you are wanting to make in comparing the two art works you have selected (this may change as you research/begin writing)
5. Identify 2-3 questions you will try to answer as you conduct your research
6. Provide a bibliography or works cited list which identifies 3 sources that you will use to support your research (in addition to
The essay proposal is an opportunity to outline the questions that will guide your research. It will help you to focus your ideas as you collect and study your research materials. Once complete, the proposal can be a useful resource to return to when you are drafting your essay. This assignment is meant to help you develop statements about how the two art works you have selected are similar
(compare) and different (contrast). However, your statements may change as you write.
Your proposal should be 1 page in length. It should be typed (not hand written) and you must use complete sentences.
Your outline should do the following:
1. Identify the two art works you selected, the artists, and the period/style o They MUST be from two different periods/styles
2. Give a brief description of the two art works o In a few sentences, describe the subject or theme the artist is depicting
3. Explain why you chose the two art works you did o This may include personal reasons for your selection (why are you drawn to them?) o You can explain why the two art works or artists work together as a compare and contrast exercise, or as a research topic for this class (why are they important?) o You can explain if you see a connection between the two art works (for example, you could chose two works which depict the same subject and you will explore how each artist represented it, or, you could address how certain cultural values or historical events shaped each artist’s work and influenced their individual styles)
4. Provide a thesis statement o Identify the main argument or conclusion you are wanting to make in comparing the two art works you have selected (this may change as you research/begin writing)
5. Identify 2-3 questions you will try to answer as you conduct your research
6. Provide a bibliography or works cited list which identifies 3 sources that you will use to support your research (in addition to