February 1996 Assignments


February 14th. Reading homework for "Mrs. Johnson" and "From Romantic Suburb to Racial Enclave". Please come to class on Monday, Feb. 19th, with one well-thought out discussion question for each of the above-mentioned readings. Please write these out, so we can collect them and use them to frame our class discussion.


February 14th. Constructing your class homepage.

Your assignment is to work on further constructing your class homepage. Use your homepage as a way to identify yourself and introduce yourself to those who will visit your page on the web. As you work on your page, practice the html commands you've learned. Experiment with formatting until you find a formula that suits you. You may wish to visit the homepages of other students or surf the web for ideas. Due: Feb. 21st.


February 21st. Cut and Paste Exercise.

Use your wordprocessor to write a nice, meaty, thoughtful paragraph describing your topic for Project I. What artifact(s) will you analyze? How does it typify suburbia or suburban experience? Then, following the instructions given in class, cut and paste that paragraph onto your project1.html page. NOTE: You are on your honor to cut and paste, not type the paragraph directly into your home page! Due: Feb. 28th.


February 21st. Project I: Artifact Analysis of Suburbia


February 26th. Populuxe artifact exercise.

1. Look back over Populuxe. Choose one of the artifacts associated with suburbia in the 1950s that Hine talks about and analyze it using the Model of Artifact Study.

2. Report your findings in a brief summary--no more than two pages.

3. Your conclusion should explain how/why this artifact is so resonant of suburban values and lifestyles in the 1950s. What knowledge about suburbia during the Populuxe era can we gain from studying it? What qualities did it represent or embody that consumers found so captivating? What meanings did it convey? How did it reflect the people of the 1954-64 era?

4. You should also include any questions you have about using the model of artifact study--anything you don't understand.