When completed properly, this assignment demonstrates your mastery of one or more of the following student learner outcomes (SLOs), per the official Vernon College syllabus for this course:
Demonstrate knowledge of individual and collaborative writing processes
Develop ideas with appropriate support and attribution
Write in a style appropriate to audience and purpose
Read, reflect, and respond critically to a variety of texts
Use Edited American English in academic essays
Work collaboratively to complete various course requirements
Choose a place that has special meaning in your life and observe this place for an extended period of time. Consider not only your reasons for finding this place special but also other people who also frequent or visit this place in order to convey multiple perspectives.
Then, write an observational essay in which you convey a specific perspective about this place. Ideas to consider as you brainstorm:
Who is your intended audience? (Think bigger than your instructor; consider a group of peers or perhaps a younger audience who will benefit from hearing about this place.)
What role will you assume: spectator or participant-observer?
How can you demonstrate the importance of this place for your reader? How can you make the reader see the place as more than just a location?
Consider the cultural significance of your subject. Who are the “insiders” and what role does this place serve to a wider community than just yourself?
Do others benefit from this place? How do “outsiders” view it?
Remember, you should offer implied judgment through a combination of showing and telling. The reader should walk away from this essay with a dominant impression of the chosen place.
