Proposal Reminder

Students:

Again to reiterate some points made in lecture today about your proposals, and your projects generally:

First, you probably already know this, but the more you put into this effort the more you will get out of it. And almost inevitably [although it might not seem like it at the time] your grade will rise with the amount of time spent as well.

Secondly, we are absolutely looking for the most focused project you are able to produce. As you are reading class and outside materials and thinking of your topic, try to make a list of all the things that are interesting to you about Mexico City, for example. From there, hierarchize them so you can fit in other ideas into one, coherent thesis.

• So if you're interested in housing, but also environmental issues, choose one to be your theme. But of course tell us how these are inter-related as well, such as how we saw the rainforest being destroyed on the edges of Rio de Janeiro by favela sprawl [and probably elites' golf courses in other areas as well...].
  

So a quick and dirty proposal must have: city chosen, theme picked, and sources listed. A quality proposal will go much more deeply into these topics; as Professor Herzog suggested, the more specific you are, the more helpful we can be.

Also, feel free to type out questions or brainstorms you're having below your proposal. These can often be very helpful to key me into your larger thought process, as I realize you haven't had much time to think about this project yet.

Keep reading, and I thought I'd add a link to an interview by Mike Davis about Planet of Slums to help you on your way. Even if you read the first bit of this, you get a sense of how fantastic this man is and how he truly has a knack for cities and how to study them.

http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/82655/tomdispatch_interview_mike_davis_turning_a_planet_into_a_slum