Assignment 3--Research Proposal / Poster Project
Due Wednesday, December 6, start of class

In this synthesis you will pursue a Yosemite-related topic of interest to you, as if you are laying out a well-thought-out prospectus for an American Studies thesis. This will be a work-in-progress / scoping demonstration showing your competence to conduct larger-scale work. In that respect it is prospective and not a finished product, but it is nonetheless a substantial piece of work. I strongly suggest that you work with another person on this, both for the collegial experience and for logistical convenience.

Your task here is several-fold, though the order of your presentation need not follow this in lock-step sequence:

• a short discussion of the theoretical background for your work--how your research fits into the questions and goals of this course.

• a detailed description of field work you would undertake, including research questions, methodology, etc.

• a representative sample of results you have already achieved, comprising a status report that gives viewers a clear sense of a significant accomplishment

• a preliminary annotated bibliography of sources, along with brief discussions of how you will use them and go beyond them

• a brief discussion of logistical or methodological problems you anticipate, and how you might overcome them

• an oral presentation not longer than 7 minutes that will quickly orient us to the most important features of your work, and that will show the depth and relevance of your thinking.

As with other exercises in this class, this is an opportunity to think critically about Yosemite as a public place, about the ways we as a nation and as a people experience place, creating meanings and absorbing significance of human interaction with the environment.

I will be asking for specific research activities in the coming two weeks, and will be holding additional office hours to make this assignment productive as a multi-faceted learning experience. DO e-mail me or call me with questions! DON'T try to do this assignment at the last minute. DON'T think that unintegrated or halfhearted work will suffice. One of my aims here is to challenge you to command and apply the discourse of this field in ways you may not have experienced before.