For this research assignment, you will be developing at least a 1500 word annotated bibliography for a contextual analysis paper on a specific work of art. The work must date from prehistory to today (the period of time studied in this art appreciation course). Note that you will not be writing the actual paper, just doing all of the research necessary in order to do so.

Unlike a visual analysis paper, which focuses primarily on the artwork itself, a contextual analysis is concerned with the social, political, religious, or economic significance of an artwork.  D’Alleva, Look! The Fundamentals of Art History (p.22) explains: “Contextual analysis requires you to go outside the work of art…You are attempting to understand how a work of art expresses or shapes the experiences, ideas, and values of the individuals and groups that make, use, view or own it.”

FINDING SOURCES

• Do not begin your search with Google as the majority of information you will find on the internet will be vague or inaccurate, and the sources are typically not credible.
• Search the LSSC library catalog/online databases and gather some books and articles. Then, use the footnotes and bibliographies in these sources to lead you to additional sources. This is one of the most effective methods of gathering relevant research material.
• Several online databases (such as JSTOR) provide online, full-text versions of academic journal articles pertaining to art history and related disciplines (i.e. archaeology, anthropology, and classical studies). Although JSTOR can be viewed over the internet, it is not considered a web source as these journals are available in a printed format as well.
• Additionally, as this annotated bibliography is for a contextual analysis, you should be sure to search broadly. For instance, if your object is a Greek sculpture from the Hellenistic period, your bibliography may include books and journal articles on the Hellenistic period, Hellenistic sculpture, and Greek sculpture in general. If your object is in a large museum it may also be featured in a museum catalogue or on the official museum website.   

UNACCEPTABLE SOURCES FOR THIS ASSIGNMENT

• Wikipedia
• Encyclopedias (bound or online)
• Dictionaries
• Your textbook or other art history textbooks (Gardner’s Art Through the Ages, Stokstad)
• Magazine articles (Time, Rolling Stone, National Geographic, etc.) as these are NOT academic journal articles
• Newspaper articles as these are NOT academic journal articles
• Any website that does not include a .edu in its web address or is not an art museum website

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY/ PLAGIARISM

It is presumed that each student will work independently on all exams and papers. Students found guilty of plagiarizing or cheating on exams will, at a minimum, forfeit that assignment. Plagiarism is defined as “literary theft” and consists of the unattributed quotation of the exact words of a published text or the unattributed borrowing of original ideas by paraphrase from a published text. Each direct quotation, as well as ideas and facts that are not generally known to the public-at-large, must be attributed to their author. Citations should be made in footnotes. 

THE ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY – FINAL SUBMISSION 

Your final annotated bibliography submission must include a minimum of ten sources and be at least 1500 words long. At least four of these must be articles from academic journals. The annotations for each bibliographic entry should state the usefulness of each source with regard to your paper topic and/or the thesis of the source. The ten sources should be formatted using the Chicago Author-Date style.