INT 2240 - History of Architecture & Interior Design 2: Objects

After you are assigned the object(s) you will study in depth for your paper and presentation, read the assignment carefully so you know what you should be looking for while you do your research. It says that you should use at least 5 resources, including 2 library books and 1 primary resource, so make sure you look for those. If you use the menu in this research guide, it will help you search for library resources you can use for this course, such as books, articles and recommended websites. Some are in the Library, and others are online from the Library website. Many online ones will give you a formatted APA citation for your References.

Each student will do this assignment twice, on 2 different objects, during the semester.

OBJECT of the WEEK ASSIGNMENT

The student will become the “class expert” on the object that he/she is assigned by submitting a three-to-five-page paper that is a study and analysis of the object based on course content AND the student’s perspective on the chosen object. Each student will present their object to the class in a 7-10-minute long presentation (make sure your presentation is at least seven minutes long but no longer than ten minutes) that includes images and supporting evidence of the student’s conclusions. Both the paper and the Power Point presentation will be turned in to the professor.

The APA-style paper must be double-spaced and include citations and a bibliography. A minimum of five sources is required. One of your sources needs to be a primary source, and of your five, at least two need to be books from the library.

Some fundamental questions to consider are: 

• How and why was this object made?
• When was this object made?
• What was happening in the world around the object at the same time?
• By whom and for whom was this object made?
• What other objects by the maker exist and how do they relate to your study?
• How was this object used? What did this object mean to its users?
• What social structures and/or values are embedded in this object?
• If your object is related to a person by being part of their estate or collection, who is this person? Why is this person important?                 
• What is the intended purpose of the type of object that you are studying?
• What role did this type of object have in the culture from which it comes?
• Are there 21^st-century objects that have a relationship to this object? If so, what are they and how and where are they used?
• What does this object offer us in terms of studying art, architecture and design history?