In this project, we will focus on the meaning of objects or artifacts and what they cantell us about the values and culture of the people who own or use them. You will be workingwith an object of your choice, with an overarching

Purpose: In this project, we will focus on the meaning of objects or artifacts and what they cantell us about the values and culture of the people who own or use them. You will be workingwith an object of your choice, with an overarching research question or questions that willguide your research on the object. You might engage with the following questions: Why doesthis specific object have cultural value? What are the differing ways that people think/careabout it (including your own perspectives)?In this project, you will choose an object; start by selecting any material object (literally anything: a soccer ball,a necklace, a flag, a type of food, etc.) use both research about the object and your own narratives to show your audience whythat object has value to the culture, community, or group of people whoown/use/see/consume it craft an essay that combines both narrative and research to give your audience a clearrepresentation of why that object is important and what value it has to a group ofpeople.Genre (Type of Paper): This paper will be a researched inquiry essay, which is academic in thatit uses research, but it is less formal (you will probably use first person pronouns) and tells astory about the object or your experience with the object. This essay can take the form of ablog or an essay that would be published in a magazine like the following:See the Object Lesson Essays from The Atlantic: http://objectsobjectsobjects.com/See the Smithsonian magazine and website: https://www.si.edu/For food-related items, see Eater: https://www.eater.com/For clothing and fashion-related objects see Racked: https://www.racked.com/Researched Inquiry essays usually have one of two structures:1. A story about the object that includes information from the sources that you explore.This story can be organized in different ways (chronologically as in a history of theobject’s meaning, an account of a personal experience you have had with the objectwith the research included, etc.)2. A story of your exploration of the topic, what you found, and how your ideas about theresearch question changes as you encountered each source: this is a story about yourdiscoveries as you explore.Links to an external site.Links to an external site.Links to an external site.Links to an external site.Audience: The audience for this form of writing is larger than the classroom or a group ofscholars in a discipline. You will write for the same type of readers who make up the audienceof your source articles: readers who don’t have specialized knowledge about your object butare interested in discovering new information and ideas.Your sources: Your essay will draw from at least 3 popular sources. You will use skills practicedin class to identify and evaluate credible sources. You will cite each of these sources both in-text and at the end of your essay in either MLA (Works Cited page) or APA (References page).Guidelines: Your essay should be approximately 1500 words in length. It should be doublespaced, Times New Roman (or another easily readable font), 12-point font, with a heading andtitle. Feel free to be creative in the format/organization of your essay, but your essay mayinclude: An engaging introductory section/s that describes a common object and poses anoverarching important question or group of related questions about the object’smeaning. Several body paragraphs that explore the question(s), by providing a narrative andreviewing what others have written. A concluding section that ties together what you’ve discovered and offers a potentialanswer to your research question or raises further questions.Evaluation: Your essay will be graded according to the extent to which you achieve thefollowing criteria: A Clear Focus on the Meaning of Your Object: Is your essay exploring importantand interesting research questions about the meaning of the object you’rewriting about? A Well-Developed Narrative About the Object: Do you include your own storiesabout the object’s meaning, in addition to sources that offer insight on theobject? Clear and Logical Structure: Did you organize your paper in a way that makes iteasy and interesting to read? Did you successfully combine narrative andresearch? Useful and Credible Sources: Did you use and cite your sources correctlyaccording to the instructions? Appropriate Style and Tone: Was your writing engaging to a more popularaudience? Was the essay clear and concise and free from errors that mightdisrupt reading it?