critical analysis on “Reconfiguring the Gods on the Parthenon Frieze.”

Reading:
Jenifer Neils, “Reconfiguring the Gods on the Parthenon Frieze.” The Art Bulletin (Vol. 81, No. 1, Mar.
1999), 6-20. (posted on Moodle)
Assignment:
1. Practice your skills of critical reading and analysis by conducting a critical assessment or review of this
reading as follows:
 Provide an introduction: What is the subject of your paper, your source (cite it), and your intent? It
should have a clear thesis statement
 Critical Reading / Information Gathering: Include a summary of the main points of the argument and/or
discussion in the article (not a summary of the entire text). This should be enough to allow someone
unfamiliar with the article to adequately understand the key points.
This should have several parts:
1) the author’s general topic and the thesis or argument
2) the evidence the author uses to defend that argument or thesis, in particular discuss how the art works
are used to support her assertion giving several key examples
3) the author’s conclusion
 Your Critical Analysis: Provide your own synthesis of the significant elements of the article for an
interpretation. In other words, make a thoughtful, critical assessment of the article and the author’s
argument with an interpretation that is meaningful for the reader and your argument/thesis statement.
Include your valuation of the overall effectiveness of the article with examples from the article to
support your informed opinion. Look at the “Using Art as Evidence in Art History Scholarship”
handout and then also consider if Neil used works of art effectively to support her argument (is it
introduced?; is the artwork described?; how does that artwork serve as support?; is it used effectively?
Why or why not?)
2. For help with this assignment, see the following handouts posted on Moodle: “Summary & Analysis in
Writing and Scholarship”; “Critical Reading & Analysis Worksheet”; and “Using Art as Evidence in Art
History Scholarship.”
3. Besides turning this in, we will also discuss the article and the homework in class, so come prepared.
Format:
 Typed, double-spaced using a standard Times New Roman 12-pt. font and 1” margins