Documente Academic
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During this project, we will discover that essays, books, and articles are not the only things that can be
analyzed. We can also look critically and academically at places and spaces*. Project Space requires you to
consider the social and cultural aspects of places and spaces. You might also look at any socio-economic or
political aspects that may be important.
This project asks you to think deeply about cultural places and spaces in Los Angeles, as well as
the communities, cultures, and subcultures they are connected to, how they affect and define each other,
and how they contribute to the unique cultural landscape that makes up the Greater Los Angeles area.
Major Themes and Questions to Consider for this Project:
Why are certain places and spaces created?
What purposes do they serve?
How and why are they designed the way they are?
How does is a place or space impact the people who live, play, or interact in it?
Are they special or significant to a community of people? Why?
In what way do certain places and spaces reflect or represent certain communities, cultures, and
subcultures?
What are some particularly popular places/spaces? How are they connected to or representative
of Pop Culture? Do these places/spaces start to create their own communities and traditions?
Project Requirements:
1. Do ALL of the readings listed on Moodle to get yourself thinking about how to analyze places/spaces.
2. Complete the Place and Topic Worksheet while in class on October 7.
3. Write an Ethnography/Fieldwork Report. Visit your chosen place/space and experience it for
yourself. Write Describe the place/space using your 5 senses (sight, smell, sound, taste, touch). Describe
what happened during your visit, including events, people, and other relevant observations. Minimum
length 600 words, MLA format. Due on October 14. See Guidelines on the back
4. Write an Analysis Essay that analyzes the connection between your chosen place and its cultural
importance (and/or any other issues surrounding it). Minimum 1200 words and in correct MLA format.
Rough Draft due on October 19. Final Draft due on October 26. See Guidelines on the back.
* A note on the terms place and space: For Project Space, we are defining place as a permanent physical location
(a building, a park, a store, restaurant, school, etc) and space as a temporary area or location set up for a purpose (a fair,
a rave, a festival, a farmers market, etc). Space and places can be defined as urban, community, cultural, political, or
personaland they can also be institutional (for example: the university and hospital).
The Place/Space:
o Describe your place/space. Where are you? When did you go? What is it like there?
o What is the dcor? The physical look? What does it sound like? Smell? Taste?
o Are there any cultural signs or symbols in this place/space?
The People:
o Who are they? What are their interests, values or other attributes? Who are the people who own it? Can
you tell who is regular and who might be there for the first time?
o How open or closed to outsiders is this place/space? Is it easy to feel comfortable there if you are not part
of the community or subculture, or is the place/space so strongly associated with that particular
community that outsiders might feel awkward? Why or why not?
o What are people doing? What is the significance of the events and activities? Is there any specialized
language or slang that here people use? How do people behave? Would they behave the same way
anywhere else, or is their behavior connected to vibe of the place/space in some way?
THEN, use your notes and observations to write a 900 word (2-3 page) Ethnography. You will write about
your observations of the place/space and the people/community that it is connected to. You should include
detailed description of the place and what it looks/feels/sounds/smells like, and details on the people and
activities going on there, but save the actual analysis for your essay. An Ethnography is a like a detailed
report on where you went, what you saw, and what happened while you were there. You can also record
any interviews you may have conducted (if allowed).
PLEASE NOTE: You can and should use material from your Fieldwork Report in your Essay Rough Draft, but they
are NOT THE SAME THING. Please do not turn in your Fieldwork Report as your Rough Draft. They have different
purposes, and they should be written differently.
You might also consider: what happens when space that belongs to one culture or subculture bumps up
against space belonging to another culture or subculture? What happens in these border zones?