750 words

The paper should not be a laundry list description, but should offer inferences drawn
from what your eye sees. What does the work suggest by way of its forms, color,
placement of figures, composition, scale, dimensions, treatment of the surface, framing,
the presumed relationship to the viewer, etc? Much of your paper will indeed be based
on the careful observation of forms, however, the paper must show how the described
object works. How is meaning enacted? You may choose to craft your paper around a
particular aspect of a given work, taking into consideration its relationship to other forms
within the work.

You are welcome to conduct further research on a particular work insofar as it enables
you to refine your formal analysis. But, please, no excessive focus on context (e.g.,
a paper that is mostly biographical will receive no credit).

Evaluation (maximum 10 points):

1. Creativity/persuasiveness of analysis (on a scale of 0-5 points)

--Is the analysis insightful, expanding on what is already known, or is it merely

descriptive, adding but little to our understanding?

--Are assertions about personal responses supported by references to concrete details

in the work?

--Is the analysis thoughtful or cursory?

--Does the analysis focus on the work or does it overly emphasize its historical context?

--By the same measure, does the analysis align with the conditions of production? In
other words, is the analysis historical?

2. Quality of writing (on a scale of 0-5 points)

--Is there a thesis?

--Is the organization logical? Does each point lead into the next?

--Are sentences clear and concise?

--Avoid overly general phrasing: ask yourself if it sounds too much like ChatGPT. We
can definitely tell!

--Is the wording appropriate and evocative?

--Is the conclusion satisfactory, bringing the paper to an end without repeating what was
stated before?

--Is the spelling and punctuation correct?

--Take advantage of the resources in the Sweetland Writing Center!

--Overly short/long papers will result in a deduction