Analyze a local space that is open, or largely open, to the public. It can be a store or mall, a club, restaurant, or a school (like a university), perhaps a public park. The analysis should be focused on how the place influences the visitor to spend more time and—even better—money in ways that are NOT obvious to the visitor. Main ideas can include how accommodating the area is, how it guides the visitor’s attention inside, things that the place may indirectly force guests to do, what its purpose is or what satisfaction it is designed to provide guests, even what kind of status it allows someone to attain by being there. Please be as specific as you can in citing what place you visited, and you would almost certainly want to pay it another visit for a keener analysis of it. Please refer to the Norton, Mooallem, and Gladwell articles of Signs of Life in the USA in approaching this topic. Remember you are not describing but rather analyzing the place.
Research
This essay requires reference to at least one outside source. For the first prompt, research on the place itself that would strengthen your analysis of its purpose for guests (be it age groups targeted, demographics that attend, etc.) would be useful. Research on targeted consumers, average cost, studies on the product’s social meaning, etc. would help for the second prompt. Sticking in quotes just for the sake of fulfilling the source requirement would not be helpful to your essay grade. Also, none of the analysis should come from your research. That needs to be entirely your own.
Basic Requirements (Checklist):
oMLA style heading in the top left corner
oA title (center of the page below heading and above essay text DOUBLE SPACED only)
oAn introductory paragraph with a thesis that clearly states your analysis and main ideas
oAt least three well-developed body paragraphs containing your main ideas
oA clear topic sentence for each body paragraph
oConcrete supporting evidence for the body paragraphs that focus on supporting the topic
oTransitions (‘first, ‘next’, ‘in addition’, ‘finally’, etc. where needed)
oA concluding paragraph reviewing the thesis and main ideas
oA citation page including every source cited and none that were not cited in the essay text
oCorrect grammar, punctuation and mechanics (Visit the TLC if this is not a strength of yours)
o12-point standard font (Times New Roman or Ariel—nothing fancy, please); double spaced, 1” margins on both sides and top & bottom
oPlease place page numbers at the top right corner of each page with your last name preceding the number.
Important Note…Failure to include the following…
– In-text citations (direct or indirect)
-Academic source…will automatically result in no better than a ‘D’ grade for the essay.
-A Works Cited page sources on the Web
-Any source from ProQuest or any academic research database
-Any source with “edu” or “gov” in the URL
-Any source from a reputable publication, newspaper, magazine
-The page of the website has NO advertisements on it
* GoogleScholar is a search engine that includes only academic articles on its search hits
Note: Plagiarism on this assignment will result in an automatic ZERO and a possible referral to the Dean of Students
Website Citation:
Author’s Last name, First name. “Title of the Article or Individual Page.” Title of the website, Name of
[indent]publisher, Date of publication, URL.
Example:
White, Lori. “The Newest Fad in People Helping People: Little Free Pantries.” Upworthy, Cloud Tiger
[indent] Media, 3 Aug. 2016,
[indent] www.upworthy.com/the-newest-fad-in-people-helping-people-little-free-pantries.hpstream.
