Final Research Essay  (2500-3500 words; undergraduates 1700- 2500 words)

Each student will undertake a semester-long research project on a chosen topic (geographic site, historical or current event, social movement, political campaign, policy debate etc.) in New York City related to work, culture, and politics themes. Your research paper should discuss the historical and contemporary significance of your chosen topic, its connection to course themes, and address a specific research question or thesis of your own design. You will document your research and writing process for this research essay on your digital portfolio. You will write posts on your proposed research topic, your preliminary research findings, citations and summaries of your sources (i.e. annotated bibliography), and proposed essay outline.  

Your final research essay will be published on your digital portfolio and it must discuss your chosen topic, your research sources as well as class materials discussed throughout the course. Your research essay must include a title, be organized using subheadings and visual elements, a bibliography and cite your work using MLA style or APA style. All of these sources must support your discussion of how course themes shaped (or were shaped) through your chosen topic, its relationship to work, culture, and/or politics in New York City, and address your specific research question or thesis directly. Your essay must include visual, audio, or multimedia elements, such as photos that describe your topic and/or major findings, screenshots of your sources or research process such as book cover or news clippings. If your research includes interviews or a site visit, you can include images, shortened audio clips, or GIFs of your sources. Captions for these elements will not count towards the word limit.

Digital Portfolio Components

Proposal due by Week 5 – 09/24

Write a post (350-700 words) introducing and describing your proposed topic for research. Each Proposal should include a brief overview of your topic, why this topic is important and/or of interest to you. Your post should describe how your topic relates to the themes of the course, work, culture, and/or politics in New York City, and include preliminary research questions to be explored through your essay.

Preliminary Research and Bibliography due by Week 6 – 10/1

Write a post where you describe the preliminary steps you have taken to investigate your research topic. Describe what you learned, and make a list of the sources you will investigate further towards your research paper. You may search the web, read news articles, listen to a podcast, search for historical images or maps. You may realize you need to consult with a librarian, visit a specific site, or talk to a worker, resident, or an elected official. Write down what you learned. Did your preliminary search help you modify your research questions? Make a preliminary list of the sources you will use towards your final essay. As part of your post, end by describing your next steps in your research (ie “On Monday I will visit the librarian” OR “I want to read these five news articles by next week”). 

Annotated Bibliography 

As you investigate your topic, please keep notes of what you learn on your digital portfolio. In a series of three to five posts between Week 7 – 10/8 and Week 11 – 11/5, please summarize and reflect on what you learn from each of the sources you are using towards your final research essay – one post per source. Each source should include the full citations in either MLA, APA or Chicago style. Please include an image or other multimedia element as part of your reflection. If one of your sources included a site visit, please include an image from your visit or if it included reading historic newspapers, then you may include a screenshot of a news clipping. 

Draft Outline and Revised Research Question due by Week 12 – 11/12

Your essay must be organized and include multiple sections/subsections specific to your topic and research questions. Please write a post on your proposed outline and make sure to explain what you hope to accomplish in each of your essay sections. Your post should also include an updated or revised version of your preliminary research question(s), along with a brief paragraph describing the rationale behind your question. You may choose to summarize the content you will share in each of these sections and describe additional research and/or reading you need to do in order to flush out each section of your essay. Do not forget to think about and mention the images, audio or multimedia components you will be using in your final essay

Presentation

10 – 12-minute class presentation on your chosen topic, research process, and findings. Presentations should be based on key take-aways from your research essay. Students are encouraged to use their digital portfolios and the visual components used throughout their research process and in their final essay, such as maps, images, or other multimedia in order to introduce their topic and present research findings to address your specific research question(s). Classmates will complete a friendly feedback rubric based on what they learned from each presentation.