8/13/2019 Notes Assignment Urban Perspectives

1/2

Notes assignment Urban Perspectives (deadline 13 dec. 2013)

Two options: 2000 words each

1. Research proposal: use findings from urban labs, as pilot data for research project.

You do not need to use all the data. You have to show that you understand what

research is about.

A research proposal includes the following sections:

1. Object:

- statement of subject matter: what is it you are studying?

- justification of object study: why worth knowing this? Needs to be scientific,

sociological perspective.

- what are you going to learn from your study? What kind of finding do youexpect? Why relevant? Focus on policy relevance etc.

2. Context: describe your object of study. What do we already know: features,

characteristics, historical/comparative perspective, relevant facts. What is it

about: place, group etc. What places are made of and other relevant

information to get a sense of the research.

3. Literature review: brief summary of academic research on this topic. Refer to

the texts from this course. Do not use other texts. Example: Ash Amin is

relevant to use here because his work focusses on perspectives and therefore is

relevant because

4. Research question: 1 main question, 2 or 3 sub questions. How are they

related.

5. Methodology: how are you going to answer your research question and make

shore that the data are valid. Example: interviewing for following reasons

better than

2. Research paper: use research data. Is about processing your data and building an argument.

Show your mastery of the data and use quotes. Can test a point made in the literature, does it

apply here? Here you can use your urban lab findings too. Include the above five sections in

your paper a bit different: Section 1 smaller, section 2 more extended. Emphasis on analysis.Stick to literature from the course.

8/13/2019 Notes Assignment Urban Perspectives

2/2

This assignment has 2 options.

OPTION 1: Students use the material collected in Urban Labs to design research proposals.

In this case, urban labs are treated as 'pilot projects', and the data from them is used to

inform and motivate future research.

OPTION 2: Students write a research paper based on the results of one and more urban labscollected as a group or shared among groups. In this case, the emphasis is on the analysis

and the demonstration of the use of concepts from the course literature in sociological

research.

OPTION 1, make sure to make clear:

-The focus of your study and why it is important

-What the object of your study, or the phenomenon, is about and what it consists of

-Related literature/studies and what perspective they offer (this does not have to be very

elaborate)

-Your original research Questions-Methodology

OPTION 2 contains some of the above, but the emphasis is on the presentation of the

data/case/material and its analysis. Make sure to articulate:

-your focus and its importance

-relevant literature and concepts

-research questions

-methodology

-analysis of your material. This should be the most developed part of your research paper.

Use between 2,000 and 3,500 words.