NEW YORK FIELDTRIP 2003
Pre-fieldtrip Essay
Introduction
The
first piece of assessed work for the fieldclass is an essay of maximum 2000
words, to be handed in by 11:30am on Wednesday 26 March (30% of total marks).
Please choose one of the essay titles listed below.
The
aim of the essay is to encourage you to undertake some background reading on New
York before the fieldclass. The more you know about the city before you go, the
more you will appreciate and learn from New York during the fieldclass week.
Each of the essay titles relates to one of the preliminary lectures, and
provides some preparation for the fieldwork we will be carrying out in New York.
Reading for the essays will be supplied during the lectures.
Essay
Titles
(1)
With reference to the landscapes of both the powerful and the powerless, discuss
how New York may be read as a ‘landscape of power’
(2)
Outline the major trends of gentrification in Manhattan and critically discuss
the role of lifestyle and consumption in promoting gentrification.
(3)
‘A civilisation of cities would not survive if it were cut off from nature’
(Frederick Law Olmstead). Discuss with reference to the incorporation of nature
into the city of New York.
(4)
Making reference to New York, describe and critically analyse what is meant by
the notion of the urban-nature divide.
(5)
What role has consumption played in shaping (i) the built environment and (ii)
cultural identities in New York?
(6)
With reference to one particular ethnic group, identify the impacts of migration
on the social, economic and cultural geographies of New York.
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