Final Paper Assignment

FUEP 304 – Urban and Environmental Research Methods
Final Paper Assignment

Over the course of this semester, you have learned a variety of social science research methods, how these methods apply to urban and environmental research, and related concepts.

For your final paper:

Option 1- Analysis of a Seminal Text
Conduct a methodological critique of an existing piece of research

  * Pick a topic that interests you
  * This should be a seminal text, i.e. a major work, in the field of your interest and ideally in a book format. There is no publication date requirement so your book may be relatively recent or decades old;
  * In your introduction, tell me why you chose this text and why it is a seminal text in the field;
  * Provide some context as to its influence. For example, you may include articles or citations of the book, helping to contextualize its status as important in the field in which it is situated;
  * Provide the main arguments of the book and the primary and secondary research questions the author is posing;
  * Lay out and analyze the methods used by the author or authors to answer these questions.  
  * How did the author conduct their research? Analysis should include a detailed description of the research methods utilized, how the research was conducted, and whether the methods effectively answer the question posed.
  * Discuss the book’s findings.   What are the main conclusions of the text and how are the findings linked back to the research question(s)
  * You might also include responses or critiques of the methods used in the book by other scholars or ones that you have yourself.

For example, if you are interested in segregation of cities in the United States, you might read and analyze Massey and Denton’s American Apartheid: Segregation and the Making of the Underclass or if you are interested in disaster politics/history of LA, you might look at Ecology of Fear by Mike Davis

Option 2-Compare and...