VISC 1001: GLOBAL VISUAL AND MATERIAL CULTURE: BEGINNINGS TO 1800 CE
FALL 2025
RESEARCH PAPER
DUE DATE: MONDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 11:59 PM EST
Please note: This assignment is a long-term project. It is recommended that students work on this over the full three weeks before the due date.
Format: Times New Roman, 12pt font, double-spaced, uploaded as a Word or PDF document (.doc, .docx, .pdf).
Length: 1250 (minimum)-1500 words plus footnotes (approximately 4 pages).
Allowed Uploads: One (1).
Do not wait until the last minute to upload your document. You can only upload your document one (1) time. Students are responsible for ensuring they upload the correct file (.doc, .docx, .pdf).
Weight: 20% of the final grade.
Purpose: This research paper has three main goals: to propose an identification of an artwork based on careful analysis and supporting research; to develop your skills in writing academic prose using correct art-historical terminology; and to leam the fundamentals of developing, structuring, and writing a formal research paper with correct citations and a bibliography.
The Challenge:
You've discovered three artworks in a relative's attic, and one of them looks familiar. You think it relates to something you've studied in your VISC 1001 class or in the textbook and believe it might have art-historical significance and cultural value. Before bringing it to a museum curator, you decide to conduct some preliminary research. in the research paper you're preparing for the museum, you must propose an identification supported by scholarly research and make recommendations for how the object might be displayed.
Images:
You must include images of any artworks you discuss (including the artwork that is the topic of the paper) with your paper. Do NOT put images in the body of your essay. These go after your essay and before you bibliography. You must provide appropriate captions for all images. Images must be numbered (Fig. 1, Fig. 2, etc.) and referenced in your text when you discuss them.
Avoid Acadmic Misconduct:
Plagiarism is the act of taking someone else's ideas, opinions, writings etc. and representing them as one's own. You plagiarize whenever you borrow another scholar's ideas without paraphrasing or quoting directly from a source and without giving credit through a citation (i.e. a footnote).
The teaching team will be evaluating the appropriate use of quotations and paraphrasing throughout your paper, the regular use of citations from all research sources you and a properly formatted bibliography.
Students are prohibited from using any Generative Al tools (such as ChatGPT) to brainstorm, structure, write or polish their essay. Students must write their essays fully themselves. Students must not use reverse Google search to identify your image or read online descriptions of it. This is an individual assignment-you cannot discuss or share your answers with others, brainstorm answers on Discord or social media, etc.
Instructions:
Select ONE (1) of the artworks below. As stated above, the purpose of the paper is to propose an identification for this artwork based on art-historical research. Your identification will include an artist (if appropriate), location where made, date, and art-historical context/period. (Continually ask yourself, can I be more specific? Can you suggest which halfcentury? What was the function of this object?)
Pro Tip: Knowing what the artwork is from the start of your research isn't an advantage. You will be graded on the quality of your argument and the research that supports it. Students will not be penalized for incorrectly identifying the object.
Your introductory paragraph should clearly state your argument-your proposed identification-in the form. of a thesis statement.
The body of your paper will argue for your identification through discussion and analysis of the object and research regarding its art-historical context/period or drawing from course materials and high-level research sources. Build your argument progressively- each paragraph should logically connect to the next, moving your reader through your reasoning step by step. You will incorporate and cite research from scholarly sources to support your claims.
Your paper should also include a short discussion where you propose how it might be best to display the object in art gallery or museum (e.g. near its conclusion). Finally, write a short concluding paragraph that summarizes your argument.
Required:
You must use at least THREE (3) ACADEMIC RESEARCH SOURCES found through the OCADU Library databases (e.g. JSTOR, Project Muse, etc.) Students can also use the Toronto Public Library system and the University of Toronto libraries (if students have access). High quality research sources include:
● articles from peer-reviewed scholarly journals
● scholarly books published by university or academic presses
● chapters/essays from exhibition catalogues from maior museums
The quality of your research sources matter. You may consult and cite museum websites as part of your research but they will not count as one of your three academic research sources. Wikipedia is not a high quality research source and also will not be counted. The use of lower-quality research sources will impact your grade.