For the analysis essay, we will be practicing Prownian analysis, which is a method of analyzing materials and objects, developed by art historian and scholar Jules Prown, who is in our Additional Readings. If you have not yet read the Prown intro to “American Artifacts” go ahead and complete that before moving forward.
Remember: This is in preparation for your analysis essay. As noted in the intro handout, analysis essays may have some argumentative elements, but the argument is not the primary purpose for the essay. The primary goal of an analysis is to perform a detailed examination of the elements or structure of the thing being analyzed. So, while you will include some additional research and might even argue for a specific point of view, you will chiefly be looking at the elements of your object for clues about how your object might work in a specific context (remember our t-shirt example).
To Complete this Activity
Now that you have developed your checklist (last class) and had a chance to assess your possible research, it is time to make a few choices and build a preliminary outline. Use the template below to generate a loose outline to help guide your work. Submit this outline to the submission box on iCollege.
NOTE: Although this is an outline, you should be writing your sections in full sentences, which can be folded into larger, fuller paragraphs. Include 3-5 points under each element.
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OUTLINE TEMPLATE
Object chosen for analysis:
Hypothesis/Research question you plan to connect to your analysis:
I. Introduction
Use sections A, B, C of your Analysis Checklist to guide this section. Remember to include text about your collection, the process of curation, the object you have chosen, and how it connects to your process.
A.
B.
C.
II. Physical Description
Offer a full, complete, sensory description of the object. Consider as many senses possible and be deliberate and detailed. Do not rush this element. Descriptions not only offer a connection to experiencing the artifact, but also can unfold some interesting ways in which the artifact is useful, decorative, rhetorical, etc.
A.
B.
C.
III. Deductions
In this section of the outline, include some possible deductions about the object’s connection, necessity, position to its purpose (so, if we are thinking about the 59-cent pin, we might deduce how effective it was at relating a message, versus opening conversation, etc.). Deductions can act as the thickener to your thick description. Allow this section to blend in with your physical description.
A.
B.
C.
IV. Speculations
In this section of your outline, you will develop your hypotheses/research questions using your critical thinking skills and additional research. Here you will need some specifics and a discussion of your thinking process to arrive at your hypotheses and research questions.
A.
B.
C.
V. Conclusion
Your conclusion is not a “the end” moment. Rather, it offers a recap of the information so far. However, a strong conclusion should also offer possibilities for future study/use. This is the moment to synthesize, assess, and reconsider your original questions, as well as identify further lines of exploration.
A.
B.
C.