Landmark Analysis Prompt
In this essay, you will analyze the rhetoric of a landmark in the Clemson community; or a community which you have received prior approval to write on. The landmark does not need to be a big, exciting tourist attraction (although it could be). Instead, it should be a structure or space that makes an implicit argument about your community to community members, outsiders, or both. The landmark should be a place that you can access now, because you will need to write about the experience of being in the space. If no spaces are accessible to you right now, then you could write about a digital space that represents Clemson: for example, the History of Clemson webpage.
Our readings, lectures, and reading questions have discussed how spaces can make implicit arguments about the communities they represent, including who belongs in those communities. In this paper, you will use evidence from the structure or space you are analyzing to make an argument about its argument. What claims does this space make about the community in which it is located? Who is invited to this space, and how do you know? You will need to connect your observations of the space to the rhetoric around the space, so you’ll need to find examples of other public discourse about it (for example, news articles or promotional materials). Some historical research may also be helpful, but that should not dominate your analysis. Be sure to cite any outside sources in MLA format, both in your paper and on the Works Cited page.
Your paper should:
Make an argument about the rhetoric of a public landmark or space
Support that argument with evidence from the landmark or space
Connect your observations to the broader rhetoric around this space. How do people talk about this space? How does this public discourse connect to/affect the rhetoric of the space itself?
Show an awareness of how this space would affect different audiences
Be well-organized and easy for the reader to follow
Provide MLA citations for all outside sources
Be 1000-1250 words long, double-spaced, in a legible font
Papers that meet requirements for length and content will receive a B. To receive an A, papers must meet all the requirements for a B and do at least one of the following:
Demonstrate exceptional insight into the rhetoric of a space
Effectively incorporate image, video, and/or audio evidence into your paper. For example, you could include audio files that demonstrate how the space sounds at different times of day, or images of the visual features you discuss in your paper to help the reader follow your argument.
Effectively link concepts discussed in our readings to the space you are discussing.
Rubric Landmark Analysis
20..Spelling/Grammar (Is it coherent?)
20..Thesis is present and relevant
20..Overall flow of paper (is it coherent, consistent, and connected?)
20..General conclusion is present
20..Does your paper have an argument/goal?
100%
