This document provides instructions for students to write a rough draft of a research paper comparing two art objects from different cultures. It lists four possible object comparisons for students to choose from. It outlines the formatting, content, and citation requirements for the rough draft. The grading criteria assigns points to different sections, including the introduction, thesis, object paragraphs, comparison paragraph, conclusion, title, research citations, grammar, and spelling. Students are directed to use one of the essays from the Sheriff book as a starting point to develop their argument and compare the two objects.

1. American Imperialism
HST/165 Version 2
2
University of Phoenix Material
American Imperialism
Part 1
Complete the chart by identifying the following:
· Identify the countries or areas where the United States
engaged in imperialistic actions during the period from about
1870 to 1914.
· Discuss why each area was important to American empire
building (political, economic, and social).
· Explain America’s expansionist ideals. What were some of the
factors that justified American imperialist actions?
· Identify the current political status of these places in relation
to the United States.
Age of Imperialism: 1870 to 1914
Place
Why was there interest?
U.S. actions
Status today

2. Part 2
Answer each of the following prompts with a response of at
least 200 to 300 words:
· Trace the path of American imperialism during the period
from about 1870 to 1914 through political, military, and
economic events. Why was the United States interested in
expansion in these areas? Why was America building a global
empire?
· What were the benefits of America’s imperialistic actions for
the people in these countries or areas? What were the
disadvantages? How would you describe their experiences in
terms of being conquered, assimilated, or marginalized?
· What were the moral implications of American imperialism?
How did Imperialists justify their actions? How did the Anti-
Imperialists justify their position? Consider the role of race,
economics, science, and religion.

3. · What significance did the Spanish-American War have in the
development of the United States as an empire and world
power?
· Do you think the United States is currently an imperialist
country? Why or why not?
Cite and reference all information sources according to
appropriate course level APA guidelines.
Copyright © 2015, 2014, 2011, 2008, 2005, 2004 by University
of Phoenix. All rights reserved.
Rhetoric Presentation for Paper Assignment
1
FRANCOIS BOUCHER, The Chinese Garden, 1742. RIGHT:
Temple vase, Yuan dynasty, 1351. Yin Hong, Hundreds of Birds
Admiring Peacocks, Ming Dynasty, Scroll. DAOSHENG,
Bamboo Groves in Mist and Rain (detail), Yuan dynasty, 1308.
2
Writing Assignment AH 111
From the syllabus/website:
You will write a 5-7 page paper comparing two objects assigned
by your TAs. 2-3 page rough draft is due Friday of unit/week 9,
final draft due Friday of unit/week 15.
Using one essay from the Sheriff book as your starting point,
compare two objects from one of the points of cultural contact

4. discussed in the class.
For expanded discussion on rhetoric and one possible way to go
about this assignment, see the remaining two images of the
power point.
*Note: By this point in the semester, you should have seen a
range of comparison objects in your TA discussion sections.
3
“Using one essay from the Sheriff book as your starting point,
compare two objects from one of the points of cultural contact
discussed in the class.”
How do I use one essay as a starting point, if the assigned
objects are not included already in the essay?
Answer: Identify the rhetorical position taken by the author of
the text. Try to separate out the straight information (who,
what, where, when) from how the author is using the
information (why it matters, what it says about how power is
distributed, how social change happens, etc.) Then bring this
perspective to ONE of the pairs of objects on your list.
What does ‘compare’ mean? Do I discuss, describe, critique,
contrast, summarize?
Answer: Compare is a very ‘neutral’ seeming term. In one
assignment, it could mean just ‘put two things side by side and

5. say how they are the same.’ BUT, since this is preceded by the
instruction to use Sheriff, in this case ‘compare’ means you
should be looking for ways to relate your objects to each other
in a manner that exploits their similarities and differences in
order to persuade the reader (so ‘compare’ functions in all of
the above senses, as long as the aim is persuasion).
3) Do I understand what a ‘point of cultural contact’ is?
Answer: This idea is very clearly laid out in the Introduction to
Sheriff. Basically, it describes places where two cultures meet
and influence each other. Since this course deals with the
history of art, we use art objects to describe how this contact is
expressed and what it says about the power dynamics in play at
the time.
Rhetorical Writing
Rhetoric: “the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing,
esp. the use of figures of speech and other compositional
techniques.”
4
BEAM: Background, Exhibit, Argument, Method
Background: a source used a ‘fact’. [Ex. Boucher’s Chinese
Garden Scene was painted in 1742 for an aristiocratic patron.
Yin Hong’s Hundreds of Bird Admiring Peacocks is a Ming
Dynasty scroll also painted for an aristocratic patron. France
and China were trading partners.]

6. Exhibit: materials used as background, examples. As support for
claims or examples for claims. [Ex. French trade and
importation records, maybe artist’s statements, or related
supporting information goes here.] Note, there may be overlap.
In rhetoric, information is categorized by how it is used to
produce an argument.
Argument: the terms used to refer to materials whose claims a
writer affirms, disputes, refines, or extends in some way. This
is where conversation and dialogue happen. Your ‘thesis
statement’ is a statement of argument. [Ex. Far from being a
merely decorative setting, devoid of political or social
relevance, the association with leisure makes the garden a space
of reflection on official culture. Or French fantasies about the
Far East are reflected in Boucher’s use of x, y, z.]
Method: materials from which a writer derives the governing
concept. In the case of this particular project, it is the statement
of intent (thesis) and approach used in whichever Sheriff article
you are using. In this case, you’d be using Hochstrasser and
Fraser).
Instructions for the Rough Draft of Research Paper
You will write a research paper about one of the pairs of
artworks from the below list of four comparisons. Using the
perspective developed in the assigned essay from Mary D.

7. Sheriff, Cultural Contact and the Making of European Art, UNC
Press, 2010, compare your two objects from one of the points of
cultural contact discussed in the class. Your rough draft should
be 2-3 pages. See syllabus and/or course calendar for exact due
date.
1) CLAUDIO DE ARCINIEGA, Mexico City Cathedral, 1573-
1813 compared to Portal, Casa de Montejo, Merida, Mexico,
1549. For starters review “Contact and Conquest” and Farago in
Sheriff 17-27 to help you develop your point of view.
2) PEDRO FIGARI, Candombe (Woman in green dress in
foreground), 1921 compared to HENRY O TANNER, The
Thankful Poor, 1894. For starters review “Transatlantic Slave
Trade” and Williams in Sheriff 177-199.
3) WILLEM KALF, Still Life with Nautilus Cup, Glasses and
Fruit Bowl, 1661 compared to ABRAHAM VAN TEMPEL,
Portrait of the Sea Captain Jan van Amstel and his wife Anna
Boxhoorn, 1671. For starters review lectures for “Modern
Africa and the Diaspora” and Hochstrasser in Sheriff, 43-64.
4) FRANS POST, A Brazilian Landscape, 1650 compared to
CLAUDE LORRAIN, Landscape with Cattle and Peasants,
1629. See lectures for “Modern Africa and the Diaspora” and
Hochstrasser in Sheriff, 43-64.
For further details, see below video and power point titled
“Rhetoric Presentation for Paper Assignment"
Grading Criteria for Rough Draft
Total 120 points
Format: Two-three pages, double spaced, 10-12 pt type, not
including citations (please use endnote feature of 'references'

8. option in ms word (or whatever word processing you use). Do
not include images. Five paragraphs (see below), with some
flexibility for advanced writers.
1. Opening paragraph with clear, general introduction of topic.
Try to make it interesting to read. What would hold your
attention if you were reading this for the first time? Look at
articles that you have enjoyed and see how they invite the
reader to continue reading. 10 points.
2. Thesis statement that says what the paper will say about the
two objects. This usually appears at the end of the opening
paragraph and is grammatical and clear. Hint: this often get
written last and plugged in later (once you've taken the time to
consider the research). 10 points
3. One full paragraph per object that ties back to the thesis
statement. These should contain historic information about the
object, and a topic sentence at the beginning of each paragraph.
This is where you use the research citations named above. Total
two paragraphs. (10 points per object). 20 points
4. One paragraph that compares the objects in terms of your
thesis statement. This is also where you compare and contrast
the research citations named above. 10 points
5. Concluding paragraph that restates the thesis in terms that
show you have proven your point. 10 points
6. Catchy title: Should give general sense of the topic. Can be
serious, humorous, literary, descriptive. 10 points
7. Research: 20 points (see below)
Rough draft should include at least two scholarly articles
(from academic journals or university press books). If you wish,

9. you may use sources from the bibliography in your online
textbooks (but DO NOT use the textbook prose itself as a
source). It is allowable to quote from the Sheriff book ONLY
ONCE, and that book may count as one of your sources. Hint:
The Sheriff bibliography is excellent, so if there is an idea you
like in the chapter, flip to the back of the book and see if you
can find a source accessible through UIC.
You will find your through the UIC library. Our excellent
research resources can be found online by clicking on Library
Resources (in the left hand column of this website) under Help
and Support. Of particular use are the art history journals found
in Art Index, Art Bibliographies Modern, or JSTOR. For a
more complete list of periodicals and online material available
through UIC Library, go to
http://researchguides.uic.edu/arthistory.
Note: quotes should not exceed two lines each, so only use
the part of a text that supports or complicates your argument. If
you are tempted to use a quote for a listing of data, don't!
Reword the data and be sure to cite the source of the data (so
you don't get in trouble for plagiarizing someone's hard
work assembling it).
You must cite all quotes and paraphrasing. For citation
format, follow the Chicago Manual of Style Guidelines at:
http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html.
(10 points per proper reference of source).
8. Grammar: 20 points (minus one point per -- clearly careless
-- grammatical error). Hint: Run a grammar check.
9. Spelling: 10 points (minus one point per spelling error).
Hint: Run a spell check.
(120 points total)