paper of observation

Fall 2017 ENG 107

Project Two: Observation with Images (7-8 pages)

In many of essays and articles, authors take ordinary places (such as an airport entrance, an art museum, or dorm lobby) and explain what makes them extraordinary—or at least unique or special. These writers present details in ways that make us see these places in a new light.

In class, we’ll be studying some of these examples. Based on these readings, this project asks you to select a cultural or public place near or on campus and—based on your observation—to develop an essay that explains what makes that place more interesting than people would originally think.

Assignment:

Your essay will be based on the observations that you do. You will need to take a lot of notes when you observe the place you have chosen and you will need to take a lot of photographs to help you document what makes this place special. Your job in this essay is to help your reader understand this very normal place in a totally new way. You will answer the question: What makes this place special or unique?

Observation Guidelines:

· Visit your chosen place twice.

· Spend at least 45 minutes each time conducting your observations.

· Take at least 4 pages of notes (including: drawing a map, recording small parts of conversations you hear, taking lots of photographs, and writing descriptions of what the place looks like, smells like, sounds like, and makes you feel)

· Use your notes to decide what makes this place special

· Find details from your notes and pictures to prove that you are correct

Audience:

· Other ASU students

Goals:

· Engage in primary ethnographic research (take notes, observe with all five senses, select interesting and relevant information from your notes, and incorporate your research into your essay)

· Engage with existing conversations in a productive way

· Select, arrange and develop details from primary research that create and support your analysis

· Present purposeful analysis based on selected details from research

Grading Criteria:

· The paper introduces and develops a clear thesis

· The paper is addressing the requirements of the assignment

· The paper is clearly talking to the audience of other ASU students

· The paper effectively includes an interesting introduction that helps grab the reader’s attention

· The body paragraphs each help to prove that the thesis is correct

· The conclusion explains to the reader why it is important to think about the place in a new way

· The essay presents data from the student’s own fieldwork. The writer uses details that are carefully selected and thoughtfully developed

· The vivid and specific description is engaging for the reader.

· The paper is organized in a clear and logical way

· The paper follows the MLA’s basic formatting conventions

· The paper effectively meets the project’s page requirement of 7 or 8 pages, double-spaced.

· The essay is edited and polished to meet expectations of a college audience.