Art History Precis

Art History Precis

A précis (French – pray-see) is a critical summary of an assigned reading. Simply summarizing the reading is only part of it.  Identifying key points and evaluating the reading is better. That means engaging with the material and the author’s point of view to thoroughly assess the thesis and relevance of the article. A précis should always be succinct and present only the key elements of the reading.

The précis must be written in an essay format (full sentences and paragraphs) and should be about

3-5 pages in length, with a cover page, and bibliography (list of works cited).  Illustrations are welcome if they support your argument.

The article is:

John Henry Merryman. ‘Who Owns the Elgin Marbles?’ Art News  85, 7 (1986): 100-109.

The article is available on Blackboard in the Précis and Debate folder. There will be NO week-long grace period for late papers. Late papers will be accepted only within 24 hours of the due date and time, with a penalty of 5% unless proof is provided of unavoidable circumstances.