This guide will help you complete Paper Number Four for Cheryl Alison's English 2: "Horrific Beauty."
It breaks down the research process into manageable steps and gives you tools for thinking and learning about your topic ideas.
The first step of any research project is to think about what you already know and to ask questions about what you don't, and want to know more about.
These questions should be based on what interests you about the work and the requirements for the assignments. For example:
Let's say you're researching Francis Bacon's portrait of Henrietta Moraes. If you wrote Response Paper Four on this piece, you've already spent some time thinking about its stylistic elements and may know some basic information (Francis Bacon is a 20th century British painter, this work is an oil painting from 1966, etc.).
Now, ask questions
Keep in mind: these questions aren't static; refer back to them and edit/consolidate as you learn more and develop your ideas. Eventually they will coalesce into a thesis.
Please feel free to get in touch with a librarian at absolutely any stage of your research process.
We encourage you to schedule a research consultation with Ashley Peterson (apeterson@smfa.edu, 617-369-3653) for an in-depth discussion about your research goals.
For quicker questions, please feel free to stop by the Library's front desk (located on the third floor of the B side of the Fenway building). You can also email or call the front desk at library@smfa.edu/617-369-3650.