A follow-up the question I sent you earlier today.
This week we are scheduled to look at Chapter 8 of the text. Depending on the edition you are using, the chapter might be titled "Slicing the urban pie" or "Foundations of urban social landscapes." Most of the question can be answered by reflecting on the various ideas presented in this chapter. With either edition, as you read the chapters you might even quickly recognize the phrases I have used in the question--some are even verbatim.
So, what is this chapter about? About how where people live in a city can be clustered into social groups and analyzed in many ways. What do you mean by "social groups", you ask? That is a fair question. And the answer is, well, whatever you want. I mean it. It can be social groups of rich and poor. Or black and white. Or Chinatown and Little Italy. Or Skid Row. Or ..... you see what I mean? It turns out that there are significant geographic patterns in such social groupings across urban spaces. It is not without reason that the zipcode "90210" triggers very specific demographic images, right?
Geographers, sociologists, economists, well, everybody but rocket scientists seem to have had something to say about this issue. And, as if such multiple perspectives were not enough, now we see that there is another layer of globalization to worry about. Well, the text does a good job of presenting all these interpretations. And it is absolutely information- and idea-rich, which will require you to read the chapter more than once. So, read that more than once.
Then, do not start responding to the question I have for you. Yet.
Because you need to spend some time thinking through all that new stuff. And you will find that everything we have discussed over the last six weeks neatly blend into this discussion as well. And, to some extent, the chapter for next week and the two readings there also fit in really well. So, think about all these.
But, do not start writing your response yet.
Because, you need to figure out in your mind the thesis statement that best answers the question. You know, the bottom line.
As you start sketching out your essay, you will remember that you need to locate at least one additional reference material. This should be easy by now--because you have your thesis statement.
Let me know if I might clarify further. Or if there is any particular concept in the book that requires explanations. I shall gladly jump in.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Question for Essay 2
One feedback that I get from students in the online classes--pretty much every term--is that the Discussion Questions are the ones they liked the most. As much as I too like how wonderfully educational those discussion opportunities are, well, we can't have too much of a good thing :-)
Ok, seriously, the fall term calendar restricts us a lot. As a student, I felt that the fall term ought to end with Thanksgiving itself--the week-plus after the event always felt like a drag. Now that I am a faculty, this calendar issue does not affect me much, but I sense similar sentiments in students, fall term after fall term. So, in order to make sure that students stay encouraged enough to demonstrate their understanding of the materials, I cut down on DQs the online classes ..... Let me know if you have other ideas .....
So, Essay 2.
One idea we have clearly established from the first week itself: urban geography is about change. The changes come in many different flavors--including telecommunications that we looked at last week. (Later, I will post my comments on your responses to the final DQ, which was on telecommunications.)
We have also established the link between economics and cities.
The question then pops up: does the slicing up of this delicious urban economic pie result in any systematic patterns of social groups across the urban space?
Turns out that there are many different interpretations to this and, as you may have come to understand by now, academic explanations rarely converge on a bottom line, and confuse the life out of everybody--students in particular :-)
Your task for Essay 2 is to respond to the following prompt:
All the resources that are listed for weeks five through eight of the term will help you think through this, and will help you articulate your thesis.
In addition, you need to get at least one other authoritative reference to support your arguments. This reference can be an article in a "scholarly journal", or a publication from a think-tank, or an analytical report in a newspaper, .... the bottom-line is that the source should be credible and considered authoritative enough.
As you write the essay, and definitely after you finish it, compare it with the rubric that I will use to evaluate your essays. This way, you can then amend your essay if appropriate. And keep in my mind my feedback on your first essays and the general feedback to the class also.
And when you are all done, email your essay as an attachment tome--not to the class.
The deadline? As stated in the contract for this class, your first essay is due before 8:00 am on November 17th.
It does not mean that you cannot ask me questions. feel free to check with me as you progress along with the essay--my job is not to "test" you but to help you understand the issues and to also assist you in articulating that understanding you have gained.
Ok, seriously, the fall term calendar restricts us a lot. As a student, I felt that the fall term ought to end with Thanksgiving itself--the week-plus after the event always felt like a drag. Now that I am a faculty, this calendar issue does not affect me much, but I sense similar sentiments in students, fall term after fall term. So, in order to make sure that students stay encouraged enough to demonstrate their understanding of the materials, I cut down on DQs the online classes ..... Let me know if you have other ideas .....
So, Essay 2.
One idea we have clearly established from the first week itself: urban geography is about change. The changes come in many different flavors--including telecommunications that we looked at last week. (Later, I will post my comments on your responses to the final DQ, which was on telecommunications.)
We have also established the link between economics and cities.
The question then pops up: does the slicing up of this delicious urban economic pie result in any systematic patterns of social groups across the urban space?
Turns out that there are many different interpretations to this and, as you may have come to understand by now, academic explanations rarely converge on a bottom line, and confuse the life out of everybody--students in particular :-)
Your task for Essay 2 is to respond to the following prompt:
Could it be the case that if we do observe patterns of social groups across urban spaces, well, it is not anything new; that is how humans have always lived? Could it be that we see now is nothing but a cumulative effect of processes--past and ongoing--and these effects are no different than they were in the past?
All the resources that are listed for weeks five through eight of the term will help you think through this, and will help you articulate your thesis.
In addition, you need to get at least one other authoritative reference to support your arguments. This reference can be an article in a "scholarly journal", or a publication from a think-tank, or an analytical report in a newspaper, .... the bottom-line is that the source should be credible and considered authoritative enough.
As you write the essay, and definitely after you finish it, compare it with the rubric that I will use to evaluate your essays. This way, you can then amend your essay if appropriate. And keep in my mind my feedback on your first essays and the general feedback to the class also.
And when you are all done, email your essay as an attachment tome--not to the class.
The deadline? As stated in the contract for this class, your first essay is due before 8:00 am on November 17th.
It does not mean that you cannot ask me questions. feel free to check with me as you progress along with the essay--my job is not to "test" you but to help you understand the issues and to also assist you in articulating that understanding you have gained.
Veterans Day
Hey students:
A pain-in-the-*&% that I am when it comes to being focused only on course-related matters, there are a few occasions when I take up class time for something other than the course topics themselves. In the fall term, there are two such events: Veterans Day, and Thanksgiving. In the past, I have not engaged my online students on such non-course events, but why not start now, eh!
11/11--November 11th--was the day that the First World War came to an end after inflicting the kind of casualties listed in the following table
It was a cruel irony that this "Great War" was the war to end all wars, and promote peace ....
While it might not seem to be a peaceful world now, we certainly do live during the most peaceful moments of human history. We have a long way to go regarding world peace, and beauty pageant contestants are certainly doing their part by wishing for it, but let us not forget that what we have now in most of the world is an amazing level of peace that people in the past literally died for ....
In the process of keeping peace, we are also incredibly lucky that many soldiers are still around, and on November 11th we honor American veterans of all wars. (It was in 1954 that through a Congressional/Presidential act Armistice Day became Veterans Day here in the US. )
So, it will be awesome if you took a moment to thank the veterans you know--a simple phone call, an email, .... Or, if you have a few minutes, enjoy a dinner or cappuccino with them. Which is why I am discussing this with you on 11/9, two days prior to 11/11 itself.
If there is any veteran in this class, our thanks to you.
Finally, if the embedded video does not come across, then head to the posting on Veterans Day at the notes page to watch this one-minute video of a soldier coming home surprising his daughter at her class.
A pain-in-the-*&% that I am when it comes to being focused only on course-related matters, there are a few occasions when I take up class time for something other than the course topics themselves. In the fall term, there are two such events: Veterans Day, and Thanksgiving. In the past, I have not engaged my online students on such non-course events, but why not start now, eh!
11/11--November 11th--was the day that the First World War came to an end after inflicting the kind of casualties listed in the following table
It was a cruel irony that this "Great War" was the war to end all wars, and promote peace ....
While it might not seem to be a peaceful world now, we certainly do live during the most peaceful moments of human history. We have a long way to go regarding world peace, and beauty pageant contestants are certainly doing their part by wishing for it, but let us not forget that what we have now in most of the world is an amazing level of peace that people in the past literally died for ....
In the process of keeping peace, we are also incredibly lucky that many soldiers are still around, and on November 11th we honor American veterans of all wars. (It was in 1954 that through a Congressional/Presidential act Armistice Day became Veterans Day here in the US. )
So, it will be awesome if you took a moment to thank the veterans you know--a simple phone call, an email, .... Or, if you have a few minutes, enjoy a dinner or cappuccino with them. Which is why I am discussing this with you on 11/9, two days prior to 11/11 itself.
If there is any veteran in this class, our thanks to you.
Finally, if the embedded video does not come across, then head to the posting on Veterans Day at the notes page to watch this one-minute video of a soldier coming home surprising his daughter at her class.
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