Overview
Name: Student’s Full Name
Artifact: “Article Titles in Quotation Marks”; Film/Play/TV Special/Book titles italicized
Maker: All maker names needed. The I.M. Skeleton for each I.M. will specify your focus
Class and Section:
Date Due: Noted on Syllabus Schedule and confirmed in class or via email if there’s a change
First Impressions: This section is your reaction after your initial exposure to the artifact. It does contain your opinion. What did you find interesting? What did you question? What is confusing? What is in your realm of experience? What can you relate to? What do you not relate to? What is offensive, objectionable, or problematic and why? What is interesting, engaging, and thought provoking and why? This is your reaction before you go in-depth to find out about the maker(s) and their intent, and the moment in history this I.M. was created to address. After completing the remaining steps of the I.M. expect your perception and reaction to change in the final section. If it doesn’t, the problem is not with the artifact or the method. It’s with you refusing to see another perspective.
This section can be one to multiple paragraphs and will probably run around ½ to ¾ of a page. EXPLAIN YOURSELF! Don’t just make blanket statements and generalities here.
Maker: Do some internet research of the maker(s) noted in the I.M. Skeleton. Find sources with authors and you may also use Wikipedia here if they are noteworthy enough to have a detailed bio or history. Documentation will be setting up these statements with, “When I search Kerry Washington (one of our makers) on Wikipedia (or other website) these are the significant facts about her past that I think are reflected in the artifact. Race/ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, relationship status and past career milestones may all play a factor in this. You need at least 2 research sources for each maker, unless there are multiple makers then cut that to 1 per maker. Each source will have its own paragraph and your goal is to show how you see their history reflected in this artifact. If you quote directly from the source, a parenthetical with the page number or author’s last name will be needed, if available.
This section can be at least two paragraphs and will probably run around ¾ of a page to a page in length.
Historical Context: Look at the date when this artifact was created. A copyright date will be helpful here. Then research two or three events that happened during the creation of the artifact that would influence the maker(s) creation of this artifact. Discuss and document as seen in Maker. In this section you see the world events present and analyze how this may have affected the maker. I will give you tips in the I.M. skeleton of what to focus on with these events.
This section can be one to three paragraphs and will probably run around ¾ of a page to a page in length.
Form: What type of medium does the artifact use? Is it a scientific essay, an opinion piece, a personal essay, a story, poem, play, or book? If it’s a creative work, what genre is it? Is it a film? A work of art? After you have found and discussed the form thoroughly, discuss why the maker chose this form to convey this information. Further explanation can be seen in the text for this section. Justify your response by explaining how you came to the conclusion that this artifact embraces this form.
This section can be one or two paragraphs and will probably run around ½ to ¾ of a page in length.
Purpose: Purpose is how the maker(s) conveys their world view or politic to the reader. What are they trying to say? It doesn’t matter what you agree or disagree with here and it requires no editorial commentary. This is what they want you as an audience to take away from this piece. Also determine who the audience is. How broad or narrow is the maker(s) focus? What is the assumed knowledge the maker(s) has about the audience? What does the maker(s) detail and explain to help the audience see their point? Further explanation can be seen in the text for this section.
This section can be one or two paragraph and will probably run around ½ to ¾ of a page in length.
Elements: This will be the longest section of your I.M. This will unify both form and purpose. How is the artifact constructed and how is the construction used to enhance or convey the message or messages. In a film, you will have the script, the performances, the director who has guided both to focus the message, and production elements like cinematography, costumes design, lighting, music and score, and/or special effects. You will choose 2 to 4 of the most significant aspects of the message and the construction and discuss the process the maker(s) use to convey their meaning and cultural observations. This may feel a bit redundant to the two previous sections, but this is where you draw conclusions about what is said by the artifact and how its construction enhances that message. This is focused upon what the maker(s) is/are conveying and how its presented and not on your opinion of the message.
This section can be two or four paragraphs and will probably run around 1 ½ to 2 of a page in length.
Effects and Implications: This is a merger of all of the components you have just objectively presented and an analysis of your reaction now that you’ve looked at the craft and purpose of the artifacts message. It’s a more educated response than First Reflections because you have taken care to see the effort taken to convey this with cutting off the message with personal judgements and quick reactions. Now you can evaluate what the maker(s) tried to convey and the bias and politic of it. What was controversial to you? What messages landed with you? What messages failed to land? Is that an issue with the message conveyed or the form used? Analyze what is said and characterize the message in a thoughtful and well discussed paragraph.
This section can be one or two paragraph and will probably run around ½ to ¾ of a page in length.
Reflection: This denotes personal impressions and growth after a thorough examination of the artifact. Look at your First Impressions and then analyze how you have taken more from the artifact than you initially thought possible. Note areas where even if you disagree, you find the intellect and craft in the maker(s) message and presentation. Note the thoughtful changes that have occurred in your perspective after breaking down this artifact.
This section can be one or two paragraph and will probably run around ½ to ¾ of a page in length.
Formatting Details
You will use a 12 point font and your I.M. will be typed and double spaced.
Each section is labeled and the label is bolded.
You may use Time New Roman, Bookman, or Calibri fonts.
Full I.M.s will be at least 5 pages in length.
Partial I.M.s (Assignments 1 and 2) will be at least 3 pages in length.
Documentation
For documenting sources, primarily in Maker and Historical Context, I don't need a formal Works Cited, but I DO NEED a set up sentence at the start of each paragraph stating which net or print source you used to find this info. The website name will be italicized here. Here's some examples:
After researching bell hooks and her artifact on Wikipedia, I found that...
or
When I looked up the playwright Christopher Demos-Brown on IBDB [Internet Broadway Database], I discovered...
or
Upon reviewing the article "What Reparations for Slavery Might Look Like in 2019" on The New York Times website, I found that...
or
Upon skimming Kerry Washington's Twitter Account @kerrywashington I noted her postings about race and politics were far greater than I had first expected.