Landmark Analysis
What is a "Landmark Analysis"?
The Landmark Analysis is a typical assignment for ENGL 1030 classes at Clemson. The Landmark Analysis is a type of rhetorical analysis focused on analyzing the rhetoric of a space. Students are asked to select a landmark nearby and analyze it. Students are then asked to think critically about the purpose of the space, its history, current use, the environment of the space and more.
Details and requirements may vary by instructor—please refer to your assignment description or rubric. If you are looking for even more help on writing a rhetorical analysis, consider looking at that tip sheet in addition to this one.
Purpose of the Landmark Analysis
The purpose of the Landmark Analysis is for you to learn how to write critically and demonstrate your understanding of rhetorical devices. Analysis is a higher level of writing that is required in college. The Landmark Analysis gives students the opportunity to learn this new style of writing in their ENGL 1030 course.
The skills practiced in this essay will be applicable in literature courses, writing assignments in other upper-level courses, and after students graduate.
Defining a "Landmark"
Each instructor may have a different definition of a "landmark" for the purposes of this assignment. Some will limit landmarks to physical locations, such as "Memorial Stadium" or "Woodland Cemetery." Others will demand even more specificity. Some will expect you to define the landmark.
Landmarks are often defined by their use, community significance, and/or historical importance. We suggest choosing a landmark that is not overdone. (In the Writing Lab, we see up to forty Death Valley, or Memorial Stadium, papers in a single semester.) Likewise, we also suggest you choose a landmark that you find interesting.
The Rhetoric of Space
Like writing, space has a rhetoric of its own.
Physical spaces can communicate without words. Many aspects of physical space can be analyzed.
For example, when you walk into your favorite coffee shop, what physical things do you notice? You might see a big sign that lists menu items and their prices. Everything on the sign is a rhetorical choice, including where the sign is located. The menu is likely written in an easy-to-read font. The menu likely has dark writing on a light background or vice versa. These choices make the menu easier to read for customers. Items with stars or pictures might encourage customers to buy those items. The menu is likely displayed near where customers order so they can read it easily when ordering. Consider the seating in the coffee shop (if there is any). If there are large, comfortable chairs, the coffee shop might invite patrons to stay as long as they want while enjoying their coffee. If the chairs are hard and lack back support, the space may encourage patrons to leave sooner rather than later so that more patrons will have room to sit. If no seating is offered, then the message is clear—the coffee shop wants patrons to order their coffee and take it to go. Free Wi-Fi at the coffee shop may encourage patrons to work on homework while there, but if no Wi-Fi is offered, then the establishment does not want patrons hanging out for hours on their computers.
In addition to the physical aspects of a space, the location is helpful in understanding its rhetoric. For example, in Clemson’s Cooper Library, each floor has a bathroom. The location of the bathrooms throughout the library communicates that the library wants to meet the needs of its patrons. Students do not have to change floors or wait in long lines to use the bathrooms while studying in the library. If only one bathroom were located on the first floor of the library, it would be clear that the needs of the students were not very important to the library.
Considering Audience
Something else to consider is who the space is intended for or the intended audience of your Landmark. Like writing, physical spaces have an intended audience or type of patron they hope to target and attract.
Imagine two restaurants—one for families with small children and one for adults. How do they differ? The restaurant catering to children may have more high chairs, crayons for coloring, brightly colored decor, or a menu with chicken nuggets. A restaurant that caters to adults might have stools instead of chairs, a bar that serves alcohol, or candles at the tables.
These aspects of the space share who the space wants to attract, or their intended audience. With this in mind, you can also consider how accessibility is addressed. Buildings without elevators or other accessible options show less concern for disabled patrons who may need or want accommodations. Details in the space can help you determine the target audience and how successful the space is at providing for the needs and wants of its audience.
All of these aspects of the space can help you understand the purpose of the space. Consider the coffee shop again. Things like the menu, seating, or WIFI are helpful in understanding its purpose.
Spaces tend to have similar purposes to writing: to inform, persuade, or entertain. A space meant to inform is often a place of learning, like an elementary school. A space meant to persuade is often a type of business, like a coffee shop. The purpose is to persuade visitors to purchase a good or service. A space created for entertainment is a space for people to enjoy their time, like a park.
Spaces are often multifaceted and can have two or even all three of those purposes. For example, a museum is meant to inform visitors about a subject matter. It may also persuade visitors to purchase items in the gift shop or an annual membership. Additionally, it provides entertainment as some people enjoy an afternoon spent in a museum.
Spaces can also fill a need in the community. For example, animal shelters or hospitals are not meant to inform, persuade, or entertain. Rather, they are there to serve the community's needs. In this way, the rhetoric of space is more complex than the rhetoric of writing. Understanding the purpose of the space is the first step in a spacial rhetorical analysis.
Writing the Landmark Analysis
The Landmark Analysis paper encourages you to select a nearby physical space. It is recommended to be somewhere you can easily visit as you work on your assignment.
First, select a space as the topic or “text” of your paper. Some instructors may require the space to be on Clemson’s campus. Check with your instructor’s particular assignment details and rubric before you start.
Before you visit your space, consider researching some of the history around the space. Some questions to consider:
- What is the purpose of the space?
- Where is the space located?
- Who can access the space, and are there restrictions?
- How long has the space existed?
- Have any significant events happened in this space?
- What was this space before it became what it is now?
- How do community members interact with the space?
- Does the space hold significant memories for you?
After conducting some background research about your landmark, the next step is to visit your space (this is why you want to choose a place nearby and easily accessible). You may also choose to visit your space on multiple occasions to expand your observation. Bring something to take notes with.
As you visit, observe others interacting with the space, enjoy the space yourself, and/or ask other visitors or staff in the space questions. Take notes about the type of people there (primarily college students, children, etc), how busy the location is, what visitors are doing in the space, and anything else of note.
If you have the time, consider visiting during different times of the day or different days of the week to collect even more data.
While you are in the space, also take note of the space itself. Some questions to consider:
- Is it indoor or outdoor?
- Is there seating available, and if so, what kind?
- If the space is indoor, what kind of decor is on the walls?
- What does the space offer for visitors?
- If the space is outdoors, consider the landscaping. Is the grass mowed? Do the trees provide shade?
After you have gathered information by researching the space and visiting the space, you can start to consider the rhetoric of the space. In analysis, you must first consider the goal of the text, and in this case, the text is the location of your Landmark Analysis. What is the purpose of your landmark? Does it offer a service? Provide entertainment? Information?
Once you have determined the purpose of the landmark, you decide whether or not aspects of the landmark help or hinder the purpose of the space. For example, if you are considering Clemson’s Writing Lab, you might determine that the purpose of that space is to serve the Clemson community’s writing needs. The Clemson Writing Lab offers flexible seating options so that all types of people can feel comfortable and welcome when getting writing help. Offering flexible seating options helps the Clemson Writing Lab serve the Clemson community by making the space more welcoming and inclusive.
There are many ways to support your claims in your Landmark Analysis. Your observation and background research will be helpful here. If you believe that your Landmark has a welcoming environment, you can support this claim by citing your visit where you observed a lot of foot traffic. Support any claim you make with the evidence you collected.
You will also have some type of thesis statement or claim when writing your Landmark Analysis. This will give structure to your paper. It is easiest to choose your thesis statement or claim after you have observed your space, understood the purpose of the space, and determined how aspects of the space help or hinder the purpose.
Common Mistakes
Only Summarizing
As much as observation is key to your Landmark Analysis, it is only the first step. The Landmark Analysis is meant to be more complex than an observation report about your landmark. Analysis goes far beyond just summarizing your observations or the landmark's history. Include those details, but also make claims about the landmark (aka share your opinion). Explain the claims you make using the information you observed.
Not Including Your Opinion
Another common mistake in analysis writing is failing to include your opinions. For new college writers, opinion might feel foreign and unnatural in academic writing; however, it is crucial for analysis. Analysis writing is critical, meaning the root of the writing comes down to the author’s claims and opinions. Of course, your claims and opinions must be backed with evidence, but your claims and opinions must be present in your Landmark Analysis.
Lack of Organization and Flow
It might feel overwhelming to organize your Landmark Analysis. There is no “right” way to organize the subtopics in your paper. However, they should have some logical flow. Determine each subtopic in your essay and find a way to move from one topic to the next. If you consider the coffee shop again, you could consider how appealing the business is to purchase coffee from. Your subtopics might include seating, menu items, music, prices, and WIFI. Seating, music, and Wi-Fi are all related to the environment created, and the menu items and prices are available for the products. So, it would be logical to discuss all the environmental factors first, then the product factors, or vice versa. Try to refrain from jumping back and forth between topics when possible.
