Students will be evaluated on a research paper addressing cultural conditions, texts, masterworks, artifacts, or impact of renaissance events, thinkers, or themes tested against the concepts of absorption, rejection, deconstruction, and transformation. Papers will be evaluated for their thesis statements and research question(s), use of research methods, clarity in writing, accuracy in discussing positions, development of argument or hypothesis, consideration of objections, and for relevance of topic to topics. Research papers will demonstrate students' ability to develop a working research question, a sustained argument, consider opposing scholarly perspectives, and reach reasoned conclusions.

Topic selection will involve choosing a medium (such as art, architecture, etc.) and postmodern approach (Absorption, Rejection, Deconstruction, or Transformation) to drive the research and develop driving questions.

The research paper will use the IPs and RSs to build a coherent research paper around a central, student selected topic relating to the course content. Final assembly will require revision, smoothes transitions, a complex thesis, introduction, and conclusion that addressed all parts of the research paper.

Key parts of the research paper:

• Research Proposal: 10 points

• Research Paper: 200 points

• Conference Abstract and submission: 10 points

• Conference Presentation: 10 points

Materials gathered with teams can also be used or shared to support research papers, but research papers are ultimately researched and written individually by students, not by collaborative groups.