For this assignment, students must choose a research topic related to the themes we have explored on this course and write a paper on that topic.
Students are free to engage with any aspect of Catalan or Spanish art history that they find interesting. This may be for example a particular artwork, a building or monument, a style of art or architecture, an artistic movement, or a period of cultural history. You may focus on one artwork or decide to compare and contrast two different artworks. The choice is yours, but you must present a well-structured exploration of your chosen subject, and demonstrate an understanding of the historical, artistic, cultural, and technical aspects of what you decide to focus on. You must also back up your claims with research and evidence.
This assignment is focused more on academic-style research and in-depth exploration, and as such has been conceived of as a text essay (with the inclusion of a small number of relevant images to support specific points in your text also allowed). You should aim to write approximately 2,000 words (+ or — 10%). The submission format is PDF (no Word documents or any other kind of document, only PDFs).
However, there is the option of using a different format for this assignment, such as video presentation, if you feel it is better suited to your proposal. Just include the format you want to use in the Short Summary proposal that you submit on the 6th of March, so that it can be evaluated. If you intend to make a video, it should be around 10 — 12 minutes.
Regardless of the format, you must include an initial title page (or title card), and you must also include a properly formatted “Works Cited” section at the end.
You will need to support your writing with references to academic sources. Between 5 and 8 references will be sufficient for this assignment.
You must also reference your work properly in the text itself: quotations must be followed with a citation, and all statements and claims must be backed up with reference to relevant scholarly material. Failure to cite and reference your work, as well as incorrect formatting of your references, will negatively affect your grade. Information about correct use of the MLA style can be found here.Links to an external site.
The quality and standard of your writing will also affect your grade — make sure you use the appropriate language register (this is not an informal text), use relevant terminology correctly, and structure your essay carefully. Write clearly and coherently; demonstrate knowledge of the artistic techniques, styles, materials, eras, and movements where necessary; and think about what ideas you want to convey and organise your arguments accordingly. Correct formatting of the names of artworks, the use of italics or double quotation marks, and of course correct spelling are also important to pay attention to.
I chose Antoni Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia
