"Academic writing has never simply been about producing good papers. It’s about ordering one’s world, taking the confusion that confronts us and turning it into something intelligible, wresting coherence from chaos. And knowing that that doesn’t happen spontaneously or instinctively. That’s not a skill for college only. It’s a lifelong practice. " Corey Robin, "The End of the Take-Home Essay?" The Chronicle of Higher Education, 24 Aug 2023. [link]

Overview of Assignments [DRAFT]

I have designed the assignments to encourage you to engage the course materials and to actively make sense of the rapidly changing world of cities and technology. Students will each develop their own work, but collaborate with others (through discussions and feedback from presentations and reading each other's work in small "editing groups.") Also: we now live in a world infused with AI. Our challenge in the course is to both (a) critically understand how AI is transforming society (technologies, information, cities, your college education, your future professional life) and (b) put AI aside when pursuing our central task: developing "HI" (your human intelligence). [I encourage us to openly discuss how and when we should use -- and not use -- AI in this course.]

Assignments 1 & 2: Case Studies:
To collectively produce a web-based anthology of case studies. Each student will select two case studies to complete: one on a tech cluster (e.g., a neighborhood, city, region, innovation district, etc.); and one on either a new urban technology or the impact/consequence of new urban technologies (e.g., social, environmental, economic, etc.). You will complete each case study in stages, from selecting your case study, developing an outline, writing a draft, presenting your initial findings, getting feedback from other students, and then adding your final version to a web page anthology. We will develop a standard template for each entry (so that the collection of cases has a consistent format/look). We will publish the final results on the web at the end of the semester.

3. Course Synthesis:
Each student will create a short presentation (with one or several slides). This session will provide an opportunity to reflect on the course, and develop a set of conclusions and/or principles that you learned and explored in the course this semester.

4. Exam:
This exam will encourage you to synthesize the course materials over the semester and identify the key elements, concepts and terminology/tools that we learned. I will aim to write an exam that can be completed in 45 minutes or less (but you will have the full class time if needed).

Students are expected to

• Attend all course sessions. (As a courtesy, please email me if you will miss class.)
• Complete all the required readings before the start of class and be ready to actively participate in class discussions.
• Research, write, edit and present two case studies -- to be compiled into a class web site (that we will publish on the web by the end of the semester). [You will also assist other students in editing and improving their case study projects on "editing teams".] These two projects have multiple steps/deadlines.
• Complete an in-class exam on the last day of class (Dec 4)
• Carefully read these guidelines about writing, coursework and academic integrity. [and ask me for any advice or clarification if needed]

Timeline of Assignments

Detailed Instructions below:

Projects:
1. Web Entry on Case Study of a Place;
2. Web Entry on Case Study of either an Urban Technology or on the Impact/Consequences of new urban technologies or tech clusters

Note: the format of these two projects are similar. We will complete the first project in October and early November; the second in November and early December.

Detailed instructions to follow. (See above table for timing.)

• As with all assignments, please provide sources for all borrowed quotes, data, etc. [Please see this site for guidance]. When in doubt, LIST YOUR SOURCES! Provide links to outside sources.
• If you find more information than you can include, feel free to create an appendix document

3. Final week (Tuesday, Dec 2) - lessons learned

This last session will provide an opportunity to reflect on the course, and develop a set of conclusions and/or principles that you learned and explored in the course this semester.

TASK: Each student is to prepare a concise, insightful distillation of what have been, for you, the most important or resonant (or disconcerting) lessons/principles/ideas/themes in your encounters with technology, urbanization, tech districts, innovation, smart cities. I welcome a range of approaches and themes, and I encourage you to be rigorous and creative.

Advice: To refresh your memories of the topics over the semester, review the syllabus, your class lecture notes, copies of the class lecture slides in Canvas.

You are to prepare several items:
(a) a brief (3-4 minute) oral presentation that concisely highlights your central points.
(b) prepare a slide to be shared with the class on this shared google slide file.
[NOTE:  one slide will do, but if you find it easier to present your materials on two slides, that is also an option.] Consider various formats, including diagrams, maps, tables, illustrations, a concept map, a flow chart, a numbered list.,a storyboard, a comic strip, a Socratic dialogue. Use supplementary text where appropriate to elaborate specific ideas/points.

4. Exam (Thursday, Dec 4)

This will be an in-class exam, held during the final course session.

Format: a mixture of short-answer, multiple-choice, matching and perhaps a short essay. Closed book/notes/devices. I will aim to write an exam that can be completed in 45 minutes or less (but you will have the full class time if needed).

I will provide a study guide list later in the semester.