Selecting Initial Topics (due session 7)
Please bring to class a list of 2–3 possible paper topics (or more, if you want).
These can be very brief—just a sentence or even a title. Some papers might address a single moment or event in urban history; others could track and explore the emergence (or decline) of some aspect of urban life. For example:
- When (and how, and why) did horses finally stop being used for transportation in American cities?
- A social history of the boarding house in the 20th century
- The Boston police strike of 1919
- Patterns of housing segregation in Baltimore and DC, before and after WWII
- A comparative history of two urban police departments
- The early history of the YMCA
It’s fine to start with some fairly general ideas, but as we’ll discuss in class, the more specific and narrow your topic, the more you’ll be able to really dig in and say something.
Proposal (due session 9)
Please submit a one-page proposal describing the following:
- the general topic you will study, along with 2–3 ways you expect to narrow and focus as you proceed
- two specific questions you hope to answer
- at least two primary sources and two secondary sources you have identified and can obtain (although you don’t need to have read them yet)
- a short paragraph describing why you find this topic interesting
Finished Paper (due session 14)
Length
The total length for the final paper should be about 8–10 pages (plus bibliography and any images), although it can certainly be broken down into 2–3 shorter sections if that works better for you. Importantly, rather than focusing on the page count, focus on what you want to say, and use the pages you need to say it (and no more).
Other Things to Include
- Be sure you give your paper a title.
- Number your pages.
- You don’t need to include images, but you can if you want; both words and pictures can be useful when observing and describing films (and cities).
- Any citation format is fine; please use footnote, not endnotes, and provide a complete bibliography.
Deadline and Submission
- This paper is due at 2:00 PM on the last day of class. Please submit your paper electronically, in .pdf format, to the class Canvas site.
- In the last 2–3 weeks of class, you will each be given an opportunity to present your paper/topic/findings to the class, which may count towards your participation grade for the semester.
Sample Student Papers
“Dining Together, Dining Alone: Individual Urban Identities Through Art and Photography of the NYC Foodscape” (PDF) - by an MIT student
“Where the River Ran Backwards: Modernity, Myth, and the Making of Chicago” (PDF) - by an MIT student
