at least 5 pages (1500 words)
Paper
General requirements
Sources: Typically, two-three essays from the class list + 1 min additional peer-reviewed
sources.
Remember, the reference to any piece of theory that we have discussed in the class
does not mean that you fully agree or completely disagree with its author. Your job is to
show:
• That you understand the argument developed in each of your sources
• That you understand that the same phenomenon could be addressed in a variety of ways
• That you can synthesize different authors’ approaches to create you own
Remember, you also cite your sources for two additional purposes
• You demonstrate that you are familiar with existing scholarship on the subject
• Your essay may help future researchers to find additional resources for their work
Evaluation Criteria
1. Context and Purpose
for Writing
Demonstrate consideration for the context, audience, genre, and purpose of the
assigned task(s).
2. Organization Organization of key ideas supports the thesis/purpose of the written work (introduction,
body and conclusion).
3. Development Development of ideas is logical with sophisticated transitions.
4. Use of Evidence and
Sources
Evidence and sources directly and effectively support ideas in the writing and are well
integrated into the text.
5. Citation Provide citations and references of all material presented in a correct and consistent .
6. Grammar and
Language
1. Context and Purpose for Writing:
• The purpose of writing is stated in the thesis statement of your
essay
• The understanding of context, audience, and genre is
demonstrated by using an appropriate writing style
Thesis
– Tells the reader how you will interpret the significance of the
subject matter
– Introduce future points within your analysis
– Directly answers the questions being asked (if given a prompt)
– *https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/thesis-statements/
1. Context and Purpose for Writing:
Thesis – DOs and DON’Ts
DO:
– Make an argument.
– Connect your topic to the big picture
-Social, political economic, or cultural context
– Put your thesis at the end of your intro
-DO NOT:
-make your thesis too broad.
-DO NOT:
-make your thesis too complicated. It should be one sentence (two at
the most).
1. Context and Purpose for Writing:
Style – DO’s and DON’Ts
Analytical writing avoids emotion and bias. This is not a manifesto or a blog post.
– DO NOT use “you”, “we”, or “I” (in some case it may be permissible)
– DO NOT colloquialisms such as nowdays, or Now, (in the beginning of a
sentence)
– DO NOT use words with strong emotional connotation
– DO NOT use absolutes like “always”, “every”, “all”, or “never”
– DO NOT use presumptive statements like “obviously” – do not assume what
your reader knows or believes
– DO NOT insert moral judgements
– DO NOT use run-on sentences
– DO NOT use conjunctions at the beginning of a sentence, i.e. “and”, “but”, etc.
– Use transition words instead, e.g. “therefore”, “however”, “furthermore”
1. Context and Purpose for Writing:
Critical Analysis
– Investigate an idea
– Evaluate evidence
– Expound on the idea
– Set forth an argument concerning the idea in a clear and
concise manner.
*OWL at Purdue
2 and 3. Organization and Development=Structure
Thesis + Argument (typically, 3 to 4 points) +Conclusion
DO:
– Keep the paragraph focused on the topic
– New topic = new paragraph
– DO NOT stray from your thesis.
– DO NOT just re-tell history.
– Background information should NOT be the bulk of your
paper.
– Provide only what’s necessary to understand your
argument.
4. Sources – DO’s and DON’Ts
DO use primary and secondary sources
– Be as specific as possible – names, dates, quotes, etc.
– Reference (and cite) your visual evidence in the text.
– Be aware of biases or agendas in your sources
– Cite all analyses that are not your own
-DO NOT Cite Wikipedia. Wikipedia might be a good starting point in a research, but is never
an authoritative source.
DO NOT rely on tertiary sources. These include encyclopedia entries, dictionary entries, and
course websites. It is ok to cite them as an illustration, but never as a major
contribution to your main argument
DO NOT Use blogs, contemporary news sources for historical information, or commercial
websites. These are often biased and not rigorous enough for academic work.
Be careful in your references to authors. Never address them by first name only (unless
they are ancient Greeks). When you mention them for the first time, give first and last
names, after that, last names only.
Examples
First time: As art historian Yves Alan Bois explains, … Plato argues that … Renaissance
architect and theorist Leon Batista Alberti advocates a new model of architectural
professionalism
-Second time (and thereafter): Bois goes as far as … Plato presents us with a choice …
Alberti is adamant that …
-NEVER call them Yves or Leon
4. Sources – DO and DON’Ts
In footnotes
First time:
Mario Carpo, Architecture in the Age of Printing: Orality, Writing, Typography,
and Printed Images in the History of Architectural Theory (Cambridge, Mass.:
MIT, 2001) 12-14
Lucia Allais, “Ordering the Orders: Claude Perault’s Ordonnance and the
Eastern Colonnade of the Louvre” in Journal of Historic Preservation, History,
and Criticism, 2 (2005, 2) 52-74
-Second time (and thereafter):
-Carpo, Age of printing, 15; Allais, Orders, 55.
4. Citation styles – DO and DON’Ts
-When using bibliography
Mario Carpo and Sarah Benson, Architecture in the Age of Printing: Orality,
Writing, Typography, and Printed Images in the History of Architectural Theory
(Cambridge, Mass.: MIT, 2001)
Lucia Allais, “Ordering the Orders: Claude Perault’s Ordonnance and the
Eastern Colonnade of the Louvre” in Journal of Historic Preservation, History,
and Criticism, 2 (2005, 2)
-In the text:
Theorist Allais provides an additional interpretation of the Debate between the
Ancients and the Moderns (Allais, 2005: 65)
4. Citation styles – DOs and DON’Ts
