DISCUSSION QUESTION
Introduction
Explain the general research topic of urban change. Explore some of the basic issues associated how space in a city changes over time from a geographical perspective.
Explain the importance of historical geography and urban geography as a research topic. How is it important to society? What other ideas occur to you to make it worth the reader’s time to keep reading your research?
Explain your research question. It could be something like … “This paper’s purpose rests in exploring the interpreting X neighborhood or Y part of Z city change from 19XX to 20XX.” Then, present your research hypothesis. It could be something like … “At the onset of this research project, I hypothesized that the character of X portion of Y city has not changed substantially over the time from of 19XX to 20)CX.” Or, your hypothesis could be much more nuanced.
Explain the organization of the rest of the paper.
Literature Review
Start by explaining the organization of your literature review. This is especially important if you are not using subheadings. Then, think about the different papers that you found and read and organize them into themes. Examples of different themes could be: • Literature on the history of X neighborhood or even Y city • Literature Focusing on interpretation of urban change through rephotography • Methods used in using rephotography to understand urban change However, you certainly do not have to use these themes. Select those ideas that you think connect best to your own research and present a review of the published information. Feel free to take screenshots of figures from the literature. These figures will not count against any page limitations. For example you want to adopt an approach of identifying viewsheds similar to those used by Finn et al. (2009) (e.g. Figure 1).
Step 1
Explain your research topic/get reader’s attention
• Start by writing a paragraph about the general research topic. Explain the basic issues of the research problem. • Then, explain the importance of the research topic. Explain your own thinking. Explain why it is important to a subfield of geography. Explain its importance to society. Explain other reasons why it might be an important topic.
Step 2
Explain your research question
• In this step, you really narrow your focus from the general research issue to a very specific question. • Your questions will have a study site specific focus • Your questions will focus on one tiny “angle” or “aspect” of the broader research
Step 3
Present your hypothesis
• In this step, you do not have to use fancy jargon about hypothesis testing • Just explain what it is that you think you will discover. Please realize you do not have to be correct in your hypothesis to earn an A. Faulty hypotheses 4, are just fine.
Step 4
Explain the organization of your paper
• In this step, you summarize what the reader will experience as they go through your paper • This is like reading a sign about upcoming exits on a freeway • You are not writing a mystery novel, but you are explaining how you solved a mystery (research question) using a time-tested formula of organization.
