ART HIST 3S03: TEST AND ASSIGNMENT GUIDELINES

School of the Arts                                McMaster University

ART & CIVILIZATION AT THE DAWN OF THE ITALIAN RENAISSANCE 1200-1400

ART HIST 3S03, Term I, 2013

Course Instructor: Greg Davies

FORMAT INFORMATION FOR COURSE TEST AND ESSAY

Test: (Course Value: 35% of final grade)

The test (October 18, in class) will be 30 minutes in length with 2 questions at 15 minutes each. Each question will be accompanied by a projected image of a work from the lectures and readings. Only images featured in both will be presented. A study list including only those images for which you are responsible will be posted here on this blog one week in advance of the scheduled test date. You WILL be required to identify each of the two presented works by artist's name, title and dat(es) as given in the readings. I will be providing sample questions in class prior to the test so that you will better understand what to expect. The total value of the test will be 50 points (25 points per question).

WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT: DUE NOVEMBER 11, 2013 (Course Value: 35% of final grade)

Note that your completed assignment must be submitted in class (in hardcopy only) to the instructor NO LATER THAN November 11, 2010. Late papers will be deducted at the rate of 5% per day. Papers submitted by email or any format other than hardcopy will not be accepted. Late papers resulting from illness must be accompanied by a doctor’s note (attached to your finished work). Late papers must be submitted to the School of the Arts office (TSH 414) and stamped by the secretary in order to receive credit. Please also note that papers may be subject to submission for textual similarity review to Turnitin.com for the detection of plagiarism. All submitted papers will be included as source documents in the Turnitin.com reference database solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of such papers.

INSTRUCTIONS: 

In his Introduction to Painting in Florence and Siena After the Black Death: The Arts, Religion and Society in the Mid-Fourteenth Century, Millard Meiss presents his thesis on the changes that occurred in Tuscan painting ca. 1350. In Chapter 1 he proceeds to illustrate these changes by comparing and contrasting works of art while, at the same moment, offering commentary to explain why these changes took place. The thesis set forth by Meiss was highly influential in its time and in many respects it remains compelling. However the method of argumentation offered by Meiss deserves close scrutiny. How effective, in your view, is his method? Consider this question carefully and write a short critique of the argument, taking into consideration the author’s treatment of the key points that are used to support his claims.

FORMAT:

            Your response will be 5 written pages in length (double-spaced, 12-point type) with an accompanying cover page (noting your name and student number, due date, instructor’s name and course name and number).  References to passages in the text should be cited (using footnotes OR endnotes). A bibliography must be included at the end of your paper (even if Meiss is the only source used).

Citation methods must follow the Chicago Style guidelines.