I already have a topic and a draft, but want to make it better and turn it into a 1500 word essay.
Brief:
You develop an essay topic in consultation with me that focusses on a site/object/ building/ photo of a historic site and for this task, your example may be chosen from anywhere. I would recommend that again you focus on a site you have first hand experience of and students in previous years, have often chosen to work on something relating to their home town or places they may have visited on travels. I would reiterate again that first hand experience of that site is helpful.
Examples? People have worked on railway stations; football stadia; the representation of a place in film or in literature; dark tourism visits; old tourism posters; old guidebooks and perceptions of a place that have changed etc etc.Have fun with this aspect, choose a topic you enjoy but the essay will be properly formatted, properly researched, have footnotes and a bibliography.
The observation and analysis carried out in your study diary should form the starting point for your commentary. It should reflect your first-hand study of the site during field trips and should make use of the types of sources examined in seminars. Points you should consider include but are not limited to the following:
• When and why was it made?
• Where is it located and how does it relate to its surrounding area? • Who made it and how does it relate to their wider body of work?
• What was its function and how has this changed over time?
• What materials are used and how do these contribute to the meaning of the site?
• What kind of architectural or artistic language is used and what meanings does this have?
• How does it relate to other sites of its type?
The aim is to demonstrate what your chosen site reveals about the history of whichever location you are at.
