Analysis of an  Artifact

  Overview:

This paper will identify your proposed object of study and explain “what is interesting” about it. Your goal is to provide a “thick description” of the object and the social/political conditions that are important to understanding how the object is consumed, used, or made sense of by people. You will also identify potential issues or questions raised by your object.

Your assignment is to contribute to a history and understanding of our culture  by reporting the results of your analysis of an artifact or set of artifacts that form a part of the material context of life in the US. 

You may choose artifacts that belong to a past decade or artifacts from present-day  life. You may select something small, like a flyswatter; symbolic, like a Barbie doll; big, like a Hummer; or complex, like a suburban yard or Starbucks.  Whatever you choose, you will need to be able to observe the artifact "up close and personal."

1. Take a few moments to think about the kinds of objects and places that in some way typify our culture. Decide upon an artifact(s) that seems to you to  capture an important or interesting part of our experience.

  2. Study and analyze the artifact(s) you have chosen. You will need to do some additional library or primary research to discover fully what your artifacts convey about present day society--its people, its values, its lifestyle, its meanings. What need does your artifact fulfill?

  3. Describe the artifact(s) and summarize your analysis of it. Be sure to state your conclusions. What knowledge does the artifact, as a piece of historical evidence, provide us about US life and the people who created or consumed it? What is your own point of view about this particular artifact(s) ?

  4. Your project needs to communicate a coherent body of knowledge about our culture derived from your analysis of artifacts.

 5. Be aware that you're writing history or, in some cases, cultural criticism. Try to be as careful and accurate an historian as you can so that the essay you write  will convey some insightful understanding of American culture.

** Criteria for Evaluation **

1. Demonstration that you understand how to analyze an artifact(s).

  2. Quality of your research and analysis of artifacts. Your project should demonstrate that you have performed some library research and incorporated insights from your readings into your analysis.

  3. Quality of your argument; are your conclusions substantive and do they follow logically from your analysis?

  4. Quality of your writing; do you express your ideas clearly and in an organized manner? Is your writing technically correct (correct grammar, syntax, spelling, etc.)?