Overview
This extra-credit assignment is worth up to 5% of total class points. This is the
equivalent of half of a letter grade. I encourage you to take the opportunity to do it.
Choose a city in the United States to research for a Mini City Project Essay. Our class
has been focused on regions outside of the US. Now, shift your focus back here, use
the skills you’ve developed this semester to explore the structure of an art scene in
another city in the US. Los Angeles is not an option. Detroit is a good choice.
Chicago, too. New York is an obvious choice, but it is so big it could be overwhelming.
How about New Orleans? Open up a map of the US, sit back and look around. Use
the City Essay worksheet to help generate questions to inform your essay. I encourage
you to choose one of the larger cities, because you need to be able to find good,
reliable sources to draw on.
General Requirements
• Word count: 1000 words minimum (not counting the works cited page). I welcome
papers that go over the minimum limit. Essays that don’t meet the minimum will be
marked down.
• 6 strong/credible sources minimum (more is always great)
• Use standard MLA Style formatting
• Argumentative Essay Structure: introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion
organized around a thesis statement
• MLA formatting for Works Cited page
• Use correct citation methods and avoid plagiarism
• Do not use AI generated content
• Put care into editing
Content Requirements
• Research a city in the US (not Los Angeles)
• The paper is focused on the contemporary art scene in the city
• The paper goes into a good amount of depth and detail for a paper of this length
• The paper offers an analysis that goes beyond the hype that can be typical of
promotional or tourist writing
• The paper is organized around a clear, interesting and reasonable thesis statement
• The paper is well-supported with credible sources
Academic Honesty
Please review the Academic Honesty Guide to reinforce good citation practices.
