ILCS 1101: Italian Renaissance Research Project

General Prompt:

ILCS 1101: Italian Renaissance requires students to produce a short research project on a topic of
their choosing. The research project can be produced in three forms: a 4-5 page (or 1000-1250
word) paper, an 8-10 minute podcast, or an 8-10 minute video presentation. Regardless of the form,
projects must be preplanned and researched. All projects should substantively engage 1-2 of the
assigned readings and include reference to 1-2 scholarly sources. These sources may include, but are
not limited to, academic monographs, academic journal articles, documentaries, encyclopedic entries,
and scholarly websites and databases (such as Decameron Web, for instance).

Students are free to choose a topic that interests them, as long as it intersects in some way with the
Italian Renaissance. Topics should be narrowly defined, thesis-driven, and based in critical inquiry.
Some students may pursue a topic concerning social issues of gender, race, class, or religion in
Renaissance Italy. Others might be interested in pursuing aesthetic or intellectual matters concerning
art and genre, or science and politics. Any of these categories can also overlap in fascinating ways.
Think of a question you have about the period, about an author, an artist, or a work. Once you have
a question, begin researching potential answers and viewpoints. Note: Wikipedia is a useful tool for
preliminary research—and its page bibliographies may provide other, more in-depth sources.

Another potential model is one I call the “presentist” approach. This approach involves making
some connection between contemporary culture and the Italian Renaissance. The Italian
Renaissance still intrigues the contemporary mind, and numerous TV shows and films have tried to
capitalize on the period’s cultural cache. How has the Italian Renaissance been represented in film or
television? What can we learn about the Renaissance from contemporary representations? And what
has been revised to fit contemporary beliefs and values?

Details:

All projects must follow MLA Standards. For an overview of MLA, consult the Purdue Owl:
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/ml
a_formatting_and_style_guide.html. All projects must have an MLA Works Cited page. Students
producing Podcasts and Video Presentations should submit a separate Works Cited page. Papers
should be submitted double-spaced, in 12 pt., Times New Roman font. As for Video Presentations,
I encourage students to film videos if the topic includes reference to visual culture. Speaking into the
camera with no visual aids is not encouraged. Try to model Video Presentations off of the Lecture
Videos prepared for our course. If the topic does not call for visual aids, students can opt to
produce a podcast instead of a traditional paper. Nevertheless, the podcast should be scripted
and/or followed an outlined, coherent line-of-thought. Speaking into the microphone with no
preparation is also not encouraged. Speaking should be well-paced and discernable to meet the 8-10
minute requirement of the project. Note: it takes roughly 8-10 minutes to read 4-5 double-spaced,
12-pt. font pages.

Due Dates:

Paper Proposal Discussion Board Post: Thursday, November 19, 2020 at End of Day
Final Due Date: Friday, December 12, 2020 at End of Day