12-15 page final paper due Wednesday, November 27, 5 pm.
Choose a passage or drawing on any subject whatsoever from
Leonardo's notebooks. Using this passage or drawing as your point of departure,
analyze the development of Leonardo's thought and/or experimentation concerning
the subject in question.
Advice for carrying out this assignment
E-mail me a short (1 page or less) plan no later than 5 pm on Friday November
15, including: 1) the theme of the paper, 2) the passage(s)/drawing(s)
from the notebooks that you will be analyzing 3) the argument of your paper
4) the sources you plan to use to support your argument. It is very important
to discuss your ideas with me at the outset, as he may be able to suggest
valuable resources and to help you to focus your argument.
In carrying out the assignment:
Aim to situate the particular piece of Leonardo's work within the context
of his own career, and with respect to the work of his contemporaries.
Analyze the sources, written and experimental, that Leonardo may have
drawn from for his ideas.
In your essay, feel free to draw widely on Leonardo's notebooks, and to
other relevant sources from Leonardo's time. Keep the essay tightly focussed,
while showing you have a command of all the relevant material.
Also, consider carefully what recent scholars have said about the subject.
Do you agree with their interpretations? Present your own position, supporting
it with documentary evidence.
In the final paper, make a serious attempt to go beyond the required readings
for the course. In consultation with me, carry out focused research on your
specific subject in Stanford's libraries. Use me as a sounding board for
your ideas.
Use illustrations and diagrams to support your argument, if appropriate.
