The Assemblage Trace

Background:
The concept of intertextuality argues that any text, artifact or phenomena is composed
of/influenced by all the texts, artifacts and phenomena that precede it. A single artifact, from the
perspective of intertextuality, is an assemblage made up of the parts of prior artifacts. In the case
of writing, any single text is always-already a mosaic of other texts. Or, as Julia Kristeva
argues, any text is an absorption or transformation of another (66). Thus intertextuality points
to the way in which phenomena are inextricably caught up in the influences and heritage of the
systems of practices/thought/writing/performance that preceded them.
Another repercussion of intertextuality (or what I would prefer to call Assemblage) is that
artifacts are always bound up within a Web of Meaning. A Web of Meaning is a series of
interrelations that an artifact inhabits. So, for instance, an Iphone 4S is wrapped up in a web of
meaning that includes the technological influences that the iphone inherited (the previous
Iphoneswhich themselves were influenced by Ipods and Smart Phones) as well as the larger
conversations within which the Iphone appears (these could include fan forums, reviews, Apple
technological support) and the actual place where the iphone 4S was produced/made (including
the labor structures of that place). The larger web of meaning also includes the artifacts/social
contexts that the Iphone 4S is actively responding tothese could include the social practices of
apple users and opposing phone companies. We have noted here that any single phenomenon is
deeply embedded within larger networks of interrelations (or connections with other things).
Assignment Rationale:
In order to gain a more complex understanding of a particular phenomenon, while
simultaneously practicing in-depth research and grounded performance toward an intended
audience, we will conduct an Assemblage Trace that maps out and reveals the links and
interconnections that a chosen phenomenon is embedded within. Key to this endeavor is calling
upon varied sources to populate your trace. Certain sources may reveal connections that your
phenomenon is embedded within, while others depend upon you to make/reveal the connections
(for instance, one source may discuss the influences that constitute your phenomenon, which you
would then call upon in your trace, while another source may be influenced by your phenomenon
which would call upon you to show how the connection functions).
In more immediate terms, your trace will respond to the following avenues for research:
1) Where/when was your phenomenon produced/made/developed? Who made or developed
it? What were the conditions within which it was produced and how did it find its way to
you?
2) What larger context is your phenomenon embedded within/responding to? In other
words, is your phenomenon referencing other artifacts/events? Is it responding to the
practices of a particular group of people? If so, what is this response?

3) What discourse communities does your phenomenon operate within? What more specific
contexts does it operate within? Does it stay predominantly within a single community or
particular context? If the phenomenon shifts from one discursive community to another
are there transformations that occur in how the artifact is received/used?
4) What influences inform/compose your phenomenon? What genre conventions is it
operating within/calling upon? Does it operate within normalized genre conventions or is
it offering a fusion of different conventions (or outright disobeying/challenging a
particular genre?)How is your artifact building upon/borrowing/shifting the elements
of prior artifacts/phenomena? (In other words, trace out the influences of prior work that
your artifact has called upon and or been composed byyour artifact may call upon and
fuse multiple influencessuch as combining disparate genres).
5) What conversations/arguments have been made about your artifact? Are these
conversations arguments contained within a single community, or found between multiple
communities contesting the phenomenon?
6) Has your artifact gone on to influence other/future artifacts? If so, what other phenomena
has/did your artifact impacted/influenced and how?
Format:

Ultimately the structure of the trace is up to you (where you start your trace-i.e. what
points/connections you start out revealing- and where you end). We'll necessarily be engaging in
the genre conventions of a research essayan essay that calls upon and utilizes sources to offer a
complex/in-depth interpretation of a phenomena (in your case tracing the complex
interconnections that your artifact is situated with).

Each of the guidelines/avenues for research that I've presented you could easily become their
own section within your essay (i.e. you could create subsections that trace the influences of your
artifact, the situation/context that your artifact is responding to- and so on etc.)

Structurally (i.e. the format of your essay) you could very easily appropriate the genre
conventions of an encyclopedia entry or a wikipedia page. Your essay could even take the form
of a webpage (with each section revealing a different angle of your trace). The key is to create a
structure/format that reveals the interconnections that your artifact is situated within in such a
way that makes sense for your intended audience (which you will chooseyou neednt
necessarily perform for an academic audience). I will firmly suggest that you compose a textual
project for the purposes of the Assemblage Trace (i.e. an essay or webtext). If youd like to

perform the Assemblage Trace in an alternative mode be sure to get in contact with me so we can
discuss your proposal.

Assignment Guidelines:
1) The Assemblage Trace must call upon at least 10 sources to reveal the larger web of
meaning that a particular phenomenon is embedded within.
2) The project should follow MLA or APA citation guidelines (See the Purdue Owl for MLA
or APA specifications: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/ ) and work
through 5-7 pages, double spaced, with 1 inch margins.
Evaluative Criteria:
The Assemblage Trace will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
1) Quality of In-Depth Research: the project utilizes 10 sources to map out the artifacts web
of meaning. The project skillfully reveals connections while calling upon credible sources
that extend beyond Wikipedia level research.
2) Expanded Web of Meaning: The project traces connections that extend beyond the
immediate context of the artifact/phenomena, finding larger/more expansive connections
that develop multiple branches of the trace.
3) Use of Sources: The project skillfully employs sources and direct quotations, weaving
secondary materials with the students own writing.
4) Clarity of Connections: The project performs toward a clear intended audience and in a
manner that the intended audience can follow and ostensibly benefit from.
5) Citation: The project follows a coherent citation system (MLA or APA unless specified
otherwise) citing sources and providing the materials necessary for other researchers to
trace the projects research.