Blogging

Students:

So far there has not been much enthusiasm for posting, which I understand. But I want to encourage you that the more you use this space, the more you will all benefit from each other's experiences, especially when it comes to preparing for the exam and executing your research projects.

So I wanted to quickly suggest some of the types of things to consider posting, especially as the class progresses. I really hope to begin to hear about your experiences in the field--both Professor Herzog and I know what it is like to try to engage the real world and produce research from it. It is a fun, but at times difficult process.

• Comments or questions related to class readings or lectures
• Questions about the midterm. Obviously I can't say what will be on it but feel free to send in your questions as you are preparing for the exam.
  
• Experiences in the research project. One thing I'd especially like to see are some of your experiences in the field doing research so that your colleagues can benefit from your successes and frustrations. Any of the following could be valuable to someone else, either as things to emulate or failures to avoid:
• Research sources--online, journals, books, news media, etc
• Sources for visual materials--atlases, encyclopedia, etc
• What it's been like to be in public spaces and doing research? Conducting interviews, taking notes, interesting observations, run-ins with security [hopefully not], experiences challenging your initial conclusions when you returned to your sites, etc
  
• How to relate your topic to the class' themes
• Putting together a PowerPoint presentation of your findings

And remember, even if you don't feel like posting to this space, you can send me an email and we can discuss.


Finally, for those of you who were interested in yesterday's lecture topic on mental mapping, you can use that in your research. Maybe not necessarily asking strangers to map out San Diego, but things like cognitive distance. If you're in Imperial Beach, you might ask someone how far away UCSD or Balboa Park are.

Here are the library's copies of Kevin Lynch's Image of the City

And if you like this topic, you could also use the following book in your paper. It is easy to read, and touches on the psychological aspects of urban planning and living. If you are looking at malls, then definitely pick up this book.

David Sibley. 1995. Geographies of Exclusion. New York: Routledge.

Good luck