Select a topic of your choosing. We have covered many issues this semester, so you have many options to choose from:
urbanization, urban growth, gentrification, suburban growth and decline, slums, poverty, crime and the criminal justice system, War on drugs, urban planning, blight, mass incarceration, Agricultural Revolution, Industrial Revolution, the underground economy, global inequality, globalization, sprawl, institutional racism, urban history, developed vs. developing countries, urban theory, residential segregation, redlining, blockbusting, racial covenants, racial steering, immigration, cost-burdened and housing affordability, hunters and gatherers, manufacturing vs. service-based economy, white-flight, shopping malls, public housing, public transportation, tourism economy, urbanism as culture, rustbelt vs. sunbelt cities, convention centers, tenements, homelessness, U.S. Census, office parks and interstates, urban growth machines, loans and mortgages, 1930s/40s housing policies
2. You will research a newspaper article on the topic you selected. Below is a list of some newspaper options:
The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/Links to an external site.
The Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/Links to an external site.
NPR: https://www.npr.org/Links to an external site.
The Economist: https://www.economist.com/Links to an external site.
The Wall Street Journal: https://www.wsj.com/Links to an external site.
BBC News: https://www.bbc.com/newsLinks to an external site.
The Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/Links to an external site.
3. You will have to do some research. Below is a quick-step guide on how to research a topic.
Once you find an article, you will create a PowerPoint presentation on your topic.
What is your topic? Define the problem, summarize it, and tell me how it relates to urban studies.
For example, if you are doing a project on homelessness, explain the problem and provide data to support your argument.
Your presentation should include a specific urban studies concept related to your topic.
Your PowerPoint should be around ten slides (no less than five).
Your slides should include a mixture of text and images (don’t be too text-heavy!).
Please proofread your project before you submit it.
This assignment is open-ended–pick a topic you are passionate about and make it fun!