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English 2: Mad Quests: Asking Research Questions

Why a guide?

This guide will help you complete your assignments for Adam Spellmire's English 2: "Mad Quests." It explains and supplements several steps in your research process:

  • Thinking about your topic and asking questions
  • Answering your questions by exploring appropriate resources, in the SMFA Library and beyond
  • Evaluating and thinking critically about the information you find
  • Giving credit to your sources via correct citations

Looking, Thinking, Asking

The first step of any research project is to ask questions.

For Essays 2 and 3, you are researching critical responses to a work of art of your choice. After looking at the painting some more and thinking about what you already know, ask questions that you want to answer in the course of your research.

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 The Rose by Jay DeFeo. You've already completed your formal analysis, so you know some basic facts (created from 1958-1966 in the artist's apartment, made from oil, wood, and mica on canvas using a technique called impasto, is about 10 feet high, 7.5 feet wide, and 11 inches deep) and have spent some time thinking about its stylistic elements.

Now, ask questions

  • Who was Jay DeFeo?
  • What is her other work like?
  • Who were her influences? Did she influence other artists?
  • Is this work part of a larger art movement?
  • What other artists have used the impasto technique?
  • Why did she create The Rose? Did she ever talk about its meaning?
  • What was the critical response at the time? Has it changed since the 1960s?

Contact a Librarian

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.

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