Assignment: Analysis of a Place/Artifact

In “Niki’s Window,” Detroiter Jerry Herron describes a window in Greektown, tracing the object’s history and analyzing the object’s cultural significance. Herron asks questions about how the window represents a broader trend he sees in Detroit—a trend toward the ongoing erasure, re- writing, and “humiliation” of history.

Now it’s your turn. Think about a well-known site in your city, your suburb, or your own neighborhood. Write a vivid, detail-filled essay describing the object as you see it. Explain how various individuals use the object or interact with the object. Consider the ways in which the object symbolizes the community and/or contributes to the community’s identity. Your site might be a:

• park
• soup kitchen
• recording studio or local record shop
• casino
• locally owned restuarant or bar
• billboard
• a family-run business
• piece of public art

Those are just a few suggestions; choose something of interest to you.

Incorporate other voices into your analysis paper. Do some “real-world research,” interviewing people who interact with the place or artifact you are writing about. Conduct at least two interviews with individuals willing to be cited in your paper. Ask them questions about how they view the place or artifact. Take careful notes and, if possible, record your interviews. Get their perspectives and then represent those perspectives in your paper. Your paper must integrate information from at least two interviews. Do some library and/or internet research, too, so that you can uncover the place or artifact’s history and its cultural importance. Use at least two online and/or print resources in your essay. You might use the Detroit links I have provided as starting points for your research. The research librarians at UMD can also help.

Present your own original interpretation of the significance of the object. Offer a fresh perspective on the object, a perspective that takes a stand and then defends that position. I will evaluate your essay in large part on the originality of your analysis as well as how well you have supported your position. Don’t just state the obvious; rather, say something that has not yet been said.

See syllabus for further requirements for written work. Be sure to format your paper document your sources using MLA citation style.

Due dates:
Tuesday, January 30 (bring three copies to class), hand in a complete draft.
Tuesday, February 6, hand in a final draft for me to grade.