Digging Up Your American Artifact
You must locate one American “artifact”—an object that reflects your view of an aspect of
present-day American culture. Your chosen object can symbolize any American value, belief,
or trend, whether serious or light-hearted, but it must symbolize something you believe is
worth contemplating and discussing.
What constitutes an American artifact? You might choose a book or a magazine. A
photograph, a poster, or a song. A tennis racquet or a guitar. Do not concern yourself with
selecting an object that others will immediately recognize as representing an aspect of
America; you will be given an opportunity to explain exactly what it represents and how it
does so.
Do your best to choose an artifact that you are able to bring to class. If this is impossible to do
(if, for example, you choose Route 8 as your artifact), seek a way to bring some physical
representation of it to class (such as a photograph or a drawing). You might bring to class a
small piece of your chosen artifact. (A small hunk of asphalt, for example, would suitably
represent Route 8.) Check with me if you have questions about how to represent your chosen
artifact for your classmates.
250 word response to the following questions must be brought to class with your artifact.
Once you have selected your artifact, spend some time contemplating its meaning. What
does this “artifact” represent? Why or how does it do so?
10 points for the artifact
5 points for the response
5 points for the presentation
REMEMBER TO PROOFREAD CAREFULLY!