Undergraduate Research in Art: A Guide for Students

Undergraduate Research in Art: A Guide for Students supplies tools for scaffolding research skills, with examples of undergraduate research activities and case studies on projects in the various areas of the study of art-from art history, art education, and fine art therapy, to studio art, graphic design, and digital media. Although art degree programs don't always call it research, many undergraduate activities in art have components that could be combined into comprehensive projects.

The book begins with an overview chapter, followed by seven chapters on research skills, including literature reviews, choosing topics, formulating questions, citing sources, disseminating results, and working with data and human subjects. A wide variety of subdisciplines follow in Chapters 9 through 18, with sample project ideas from each, as well as undergraduate research conference abstracts. The final chapter is an annotated guide to online resources that students can access and readily operate. Each chapter opens with inspiring quotations, and wraps up with applicable discussion questions. Professors and students can use Undergraduate Research in Art as a text or a reference book.

Vaughan Judge is Director of the School of Art at Montana State University.

Jenny Olin Shanahan is Director of Undergraduate Research at Bridgewater State University, with leadership positions in the Council for Undergraduate Research.

Gregory Young is Professor of Music at Montana State University and has held ongoing posts in conferences in undergraduate research and in curriculum development.