Industrialization and Aesthetics

Short Essay Guidelines
ARH/ARC 325
Short Essays should be 4 – 5 pages, typed and double-spaced. (With normal font
sizes and margins, of course!)
The Short Essays are opportunities for you to synthesize your insights from class
lectures and readings, and integrate those insights with close analyses of specific
works of architecture. So, the topic will be a very broad question, but you should
include the following in your essay:
1. Discussion of general themes and ideas raised in class lectures
2. Reference to specific Assigned Readings that are relevant to the topic.
Analyze and quote the essays we read for the Units. Citations can be
given parenthetically, for example: (Greenberg, p. 23). Make connections
among the readings, the lectures, and your visual examples.
3. The use of visual examples to support your points. You should select
specific works of architecture to analyze in some depth. Your formal
analyses should connect with the ideas discussed in the lectures and
readings.
Be sure to include discussion of materials from all included Units. This material
should be synthesized into a clearly organized, and well-written essay. Quality
does matter, and points will be deducted for typos and grammatical errors that
detract from the clarity of the essay.
Be creative! Give your essay a title, and feel free to organize your thoughts as
you choose. There is no single right way to respond to the Topic, so long as you
include the material listed above (Lectures, Readings, and Visual Examples).
Do not do outside research. These essays are not about architect/designer
biographies, etc.. All of your material should be drawn from the lectures,
the textbook, and the assigned readings.
Short Essay Grading Guidelines
These are the basic requirements I look for when grading the Short Essays, and
the point deductions for failure to meet those requirements.
1. Is the topic addressed? And consistently utilized to illuminate the material?
[-1 – 10 pts]
2. Are all Units covered? Are general ideas, specific readings, and visual
examples provided for each Unit included in the Essay topic? [-10 pts for
each Unit excluded]
3. Is the essay clearly organized and free of factual errors and typos? [-1 –
10 pts depending on severity]
4. Finally, is the essay of a high quality? Are analyses carefully considered?
Has the author gone beyond the lectures, thoughtfully penetrated the
readings and visual examples and offered their own insights into the topic
and the materials covered? [This is tied to all the other requirements and
is difficult to quantify in the abstract.]