Your paper should be well-researched, introducing new information that has not been touched upon in class. It should also introduce something that you have thought of in relation to the object, material, medium, or context you are focusing on.
What are you trying to argue with this paper? What claims are you making? How have you substantiated them? For example, you may have information about the Yaxchilan Lintels from a number of sources in which a particular historical figure is discussed. Rather than simply repeating what these sources say, you can present those points of view and then weigh in with your own. This might be something you found that contradicted a statement made, or it could be you’ve noticed something in a sculptural program that nobody has discussed. How would that new observation fit in with the other scholars’ readings of the work?
