Thesis Examples from past students:
Example #1
Thesis Statement
One of the greatest patrons of the arts throughout history has been that of religion. Around
every corner of the globe different cultures have had vastly different religions and deities,
but how they worship and honor them can be strikingly similar. In Europe’s Gothic period,
exquisite churches and cathedrals were created in order to further serve the Catholic faith.
Paris’ Notre Dame is one such cathedral that utilizes building techniques and styles from a
variety of times and places, but most notably the Gothic style. The inclination to build larger,
taller, and grander cathedrals, like the Notre Dame Cathedral, was a competitive nature
understood and relished by patrons half way around the world in India, as expressed
through their commissions of gopuras. While the final touches were being constructed on
Notre Dame, work was just beginning on the Minakshi-Sundareshvara temple in Madurai.
This temple complex was dedicated to Shiva and Parvati, two main deities in the Hindu faith,
while gopuras, or large gateways, were dedicated to the rulers who commissioned them.
Both the Notre Dame and the Temple of Madurai serve both spiritual purposes as well as
representations of the wealth and power of those that commissioned them.
Outline
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
VII.
VIII.
Introduction: Thesis statement (see above paragraph)
Description of the gothic style in architecture
a. Importance of Abbot Suger and the use of light to show the divine
b. Description of the use of light in Notre Dame in the stained glass windows to
convey the presence of god
Influence of the Romanesque style in Notre Dame
Description of the importance of the Catholic faith as represented in Notre Dame
a. Descriptions of works in Notre Dame that convey a Catholic faith
b. Importance of Virgin and Child representations
c. Propaganda in catholic representations in the church
Description of the Temple of Madurai and the relationship of Hinduism to the
structure and design of the temple
Description of the Hindu faith as seen in the temple.
Compare and contrast Notre Dame and Hindu temple - both used to spread
religion and faith as well as create a testament to the power of the commissioner
a. Importance of scale in each religious building.
Conclusion
Bibliography (In MLA Format)
Tillotson, G H. R. The Tradition of Indian Architecture: Continuity, Controversy, and Change
Since 1850. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1989. Print.
Harle, J C. The Art and Architecture of the Indian Subcontinent. Harmondsworth, Middlesex,
England: Penguin Books, 1986. Print.
Temko, Allan. Notre-dame of Paris. New York: Viking Press, 1955. Print.
Example #2
Thesis Statement
“The Japanese Garden is not simply nature, not simple ‘self create’, as the literal translation of
the Japenese word for nature – shizen- would have us believe. The Japanese garden is and had
always been nature crafted by man. It belongs to the realm of architecture and is, at its best
nature as art” (Nitschke, 10)
Japanese gardens are seen as beautiful and tranquil places. There are different uses for the
gardens such as for tea houses and for meditation, but each as seen as art transcribed
through nature. Unlike Japanese gardens, the French gardens of Versailles during the reign
of Louis XIV were used as a way to show triumph over nature in his kingdom. The gardens
of Versailles were used to show wealth and Louis XIV’s standing. The Japanese never saw
the role of gardens in this way, yet both were enjoyed for their beauty as sculpted and
controlled art environments.
Outline
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
Introduction – thesis statement
Introduction to the Ryoan Ji temple in Northwest Kyoto.
a. Influence of Chinese landscape paintings on the design of the gardens
b. Gardens purpose as place of meditation
c. History of the temple and use by monks for meditation
Introduction to the Garden of Versailles
a. Design of gardens by Andre Le Notre
b. Importance of formal style and show of authority and status
c. Economic and cultural influences on the architectural design
d. Contrast symmetry of Versailles garden with asymmetry of Japanese Zen
garden
Symbolic comparison of Versailles gardens and the Ryoan-ji temple gardens
Compare/contrast the landscape design and the relationship to French baroque
culture and Japenese Zen culture of the 15th century
Bibliography
Gregg, Jessica A. “Chateau de Versailles: A Cinderella Story: Chateau de Versailles and its rise
to Magnificance”. 5 Mar. 2010
Heddin, Thomas. “Tessin in the Gardens of Versailles in 1687.” Konsthistorik Tidskrift 72. ½
(2003): 47: Art and Architecture Complete. EBSCO. Web. 5 Apr. 2010
Nitschke, Gunter. Japenese Gardens Taschen: Los Angeles, 2007.
Tilden, Scott J. The Glory of Gardens. Abrams: New York, 2006