Memos can be submitted at any time. Two (2) memos are due before the mid-semester self-evaluation ; Two (2) memos are due by the last day of class. A total of four (4) memos are required by the end of the semester.
Assignment Objective:
Students will:
• Engage an assigned reading for the course in writing
• Analyze the text for its argument and contribution to knowledge about urban space and place
• Make connections between course texts and lectures, additional readings, or personal experiences
Assignment Description and Requirements:
In this assignment, students will write about one reading from the course. In your memo about the reading, please include each of the following four (4) elements:
1. Quote a sentence from the text that you believe is central to the author’s argument.
2. Argument: In a few sentences, state the author’s argument. Be sure to include what the author is arguing for and arguing against. If you do not believe the author has an argument, explain why.
3.Raise a question you think is not fully answered by the text. The question should not simply be a question of fact. Instead, focus on questions that highlight patterns, connections, contradictions, problems, implications, consequences, etc.. These tend to be “How” or “Why” questions, not “Who/what/when/where”
4. Connect the argument of this text to an argument you find in another reading from your own research, another class, or your own leisure reading. Present a quote from the other text, cite it properly, and explain how the course text’s argument relates to or contradicts the other text’s argument or point.
