In lieu of traditional exams, I have decided to shake things up by asking you to design a final project that is part investigative journalism and part creative adventure. The idea is to produce a coherent nugget of information—or story—that traces the history of an ordinary object. The premise is based on our classroom discussions about the various ways discourse, power, consumption, and bodies are linked to gender, race, sexuality, class, religion, geography, and so on. My aim is to get you thinking seriously about the material conditions that produce commodities for everyday use (often hidden and obscured), as well as their emotional/cultural/social value (often produced and enforced by media, norms, discipline, and bodily surveillance).

For example, when considering an ordinary pair of jeans, it is important to understand how their material history goes beyond simply when and where they were purchased. From production to consumption, a whole range of transnational labor practices (that primarily utilize the skills of young, low-income women of color) and advertising strategies (that primarily utilize the bodies and sexuality of young women) are deployed. Many of these practices violate international labor and environmental standards. At the same time, this ordinary pair of jeans may also contain a personal history that reflects emotional, cultural, or social values (a particular brand, a form of resistance to dress codes and cultural clothing norms, a gift from a beloved older sister, etc.). Your job is to choose an ordinary object (piece of fruit, family heirloom, beauty product, item of clothing…whatever, really) and trace both its material and personal history. There will be three components: a written essay, a audio/visual archive, and an oral presentation. Each section will receive it’s own grade. Descriptions are as follows:

WRITTEN ESSAY: 6 pages