Essay 1, Writing about a Place

Key dates:

June 21--post field notes

June 23--post draft and give feedback

June 25--post revision

For this project, you’ll visit a public place, then write a four- or more-page paper that carefully describes and analyzes it in order to identify the connections among the physical space, the people and things in the space, and the activities that go on there. The questions for composing can help you begin developing ideas, collecting material, and writing your draft:

• Begin by selecting your subject—the place you’ll visit and describe. Your site can be a building such as a restaurant or museum; a small cluster of related buildings, like a strip mall; a portion of a building, such as the lobby of your apartment complex; or an open area such as a park, graffiti wall, or cemetery. Whatever your focus, keep the following points in mind:
• Choose a space that interests you. Your analysis may be more balanced and objective if you begin with a place that’s not too familiar. However, there’s a case to be made for using cultural experiences and expertise you may have to introduce readers to environments they may know have experienced themselves.
• Check the accessibility of your site. Is it nearby and open to the public? A state prison, hard-hat construction site, or a monastery, no matter how intriguing, probably won’t allow easy access, for example. Reflect too on potential ethical considerations. Will the presence of an observer alarm or embarrass people using the space? A lone male observer sitting in a parking garage after dark would almost certainly startle women en route to their cars. Also avoid sites where you’re likely to intrude on private conversations or activities—as you might in the locker room at a fitness center.
• While it’s important that you provide detailed descriptions of the place you’ve selected, details alone aren’t enough. A key part of your purpose is to analyze what these details say about the relationship between the physical features of the space and the people, things, and activities you observe there. You’ll need to look for interesting social or cultural patterns and connections in the information you’ve collected and use these to focus your discussion:
  • What catches your eye? Does this space look similar to or different from places that serve similar functions?
  • Who is here? What are they wearing, doing, and saying? Do they appear comfortable, excited, impatient, tired? Who is not here, and why? Is the space designed to interest particular groups?
  • How do people use this space? Where do they sit, stand, or gather? What is a “normal” activity here? How can you tell?
  • How do people interact in this space? Who talks to whom? Who seems to be in charge? How can you tell?
  • Do you see anything that surprises you? Does anyone use the space in an unexpected way?
• It’s likely that the audience for your paper won’t have visited your site, so you’ll need to describe it thoroughly and vividly and to provide specific examples to illustrate the patterns you see. Strive to engage your readers by bringing the sights, sounds, and activities of the place to life, and then by helping your audience see the significance of these details.
• Although you’ll gather most of the content for this project through direct observation, you may first need to do some background research: Who owns this space? When was it built, and has it been renovated or changed since that time? Has the space ever been used for something other than its current purpose? Find the answers to these questions by asking owners or employees, consulting local historical societies, checking the archives of local newspapers, or conducting research in the library or online.
• You may need to spend systematically recording what you see, especially if the locale is new to you. Social scientists use the term field observation to refer to this process of collecting information.
• Think about the structure or arrangement of your paper in two parts. First you’ll introduce readers to your site, providing relevant background information and a thorough description of it based on your field observation. Then you’ll conclude with analysis, drawing readers’ attention to one or more ways in which the physical layout of the place seems to influence the ways in which people use or inhabit it. As with all analytical writing, you’ll need to provide supporting examples and details to illustrate the major points you make in your analysis.
• Considerations of style—the choices you make about word selection and tone—are especially important in descriptive writing. Concrete details and precise, vivid language will give readers a clear sense of the place and enhance your credibility by showing that you know your subject well.
• Finally, although the primary medium for this project is words, keep in mind that drawings, maps, diagrams, or photographs can introduce readers to your site and provide powerful evidence to support your analysis. Remember that any visual materials you didn’t create yourself must be appropriately cited and documented.
• Start your paper early enough so that you’ll have time to return to the site if needed to check facts or fill gaps in your observations. Once you’ve completed a draft, review it or have a classmate or friend do so, suggesting areas for revision and editing. Don’t be surprised if the project heads off into directions you haven’t anticipated or reveals more about a place than you had expected.