SPRING 2020 LIB 2205ID-D930 LEARNING PLACES: UNDERSTANDING THE CITY

1 classroom hour, 4 lab/studio hours, 3 credits

Thursdays, 8:30-12:40, L543

On the OpenLab at https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/montgomeryleonardlibarch2205id-d930-sp2020/

Course Description: This special topics course offers an interdisciplinary approach to investigating our built environment using a case study focused on a specific place each semester. This course combines physical examination with information research and data collection using methodologies developed in multiple disciplines. Students from a variety of departments engage in on-site exploration and in-depth research of a location in New York City. Faculty from the Library and Architectural Technology Departments are teaching the course this semester, and will thus focus course material through a lens of architecture, urban studies, and information studies.

Course context: This special topics course is an Interdisciplinary Liberal Arts and Sciences Course that applies toward the BTech/BS General Education Common Core College Option requirements.

Prerequisites: ENG 1101 and any Flexible Core Course

Instructors:

Prof. Jason Montgomery, Architectural Technology | jmontgomery@citytech.cuny.edu | office hours: V205 Thursdays 1:30pm-3:30pm
Prof. Anne Leonard, Library| aleonard@citytech.cuny.edu | office hours: L543b Tuesdays & Wednesdays 9-10am and by appointment

Required Supplies: notebook, pens, pencils for sketching and taking notes, digital camera or smartphone. Additional cameras are available to borrow; please speak to the instructor.

Recommended Texts: Badke, William. Research Strategies: Finding Your Way through the Information Fog. New York: Iuniverse, 2017. (Reserve Z710 .B23 2017) Crowe, Norman, and Paul Laseau. Visual Notes for Architects and Designers. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2012.Print. (Reserve NA2750 .C76 2012)

Course Structure: This course combines a series of research seminars with fieldwork, site visits, and on and off campus research. Combinations of individual and team assignments as well as class participation are the basis for the final grade. The culmination of the weekly assignments is the final project, a multimedia presentation. The final projects will be published on the Open Lab and will be accessible to the entire City Tech community.

Grading: Final grade will be determined according to the following grade weighting:

10% Neighborhood Analysis

30% Mid-Term Presentation

15% Group Outline

20% Group Annotated Bibliography

15% Group Final Project: Multi-Media Presentation

10% Class Participation (Discussions, Blog Posts, Reflections)

Academic Integrity: Students and all others who work with information, ideas, texts, images, music, inventions and other intellectual property owe their audience and sources accuracy and honesty in using, crediting, and citing sources. As a community of intellectual and professional workers, the college recognizes its responsibility for providing instruction in information literacy and academic integrity, offering models of good practice, and responding vigilantly and appropriately to infractions of academic integrity. Accordingly, academic dishonesty is prohibited in The City University of New York and is punishable by penalties, including failing grades, suspension and expulsion.

PLAGIARISM

Plagiarism is the presenting of someone else’s ideas without proper credit or attribution. These ideas could come from:

  1. Information obtained from books, journals or other printed sources.
  2. The work of other students or of faculty.
  3. Information from the Internet.
  4. Software programs or other electronic material.
  5. Designs produced by other students or faculty. Cheating is the unauthorized use or attempted use of material, information, notes, study aids, devices or communication during an academic exercise.

EXAMPLES OF CHEATING INCLUDE

  1. Copying from another student during an examination or allowing another to copy your work.
  2. Unauthorized collaboration on a take-home assignment or examination.
  3. Using notes during a closed-book examination.
  4. Taking an examination for another student, or asking or allowing another student to take an examination for you.
  5. Changing a graded exam and returning it for more credit.
  6. Submitting substantial portions of the same paper to more than one course without consulting each instructor.
  7. Preparing answers or writing notes in an exam manual before an examination.
  8. Allowing others to research and write assigned papers or do assigned projects, including the use of commercial term paper services.
  9. Giving assistance to acts of academic misconduct/dishonesty.
  10. Fabricating data (in whole or in part).
  11. Falsifying data (in whole or in part).
  12. Unauthorized use during an examination of electronic or wireless handheld devices, including computers or other technologies to retrieve or send information during an exam.

Accessibility and Accommodations:
City Tech is committed to supporting the educational goals of students with disabilities in the areas of enrollment, academic advisement, tutoring, assistive technologies and testing accommodations. If you have or think you may have a disability, you may be eligible for reasonable accommodations or academic adjustments as provided under applicable federal, state and city laws. You may also request services for temporary conditions or medical issues under certain circumstances. If you have questions about your eligibility or would like to seek accommodation services or academic adjustments, please contact the Center for Student Accessibility at 300 Jay Street room L-237, 718 260 5143, or http://www.citytech.cuny.edu/accessibility/

The City Tech Counseling Services Center offers free confidential counseling to help students with personal and academic concerns that can interfere with success in college. Please stop by the office or call if you need help (718) 260-5030 room N108. http://www.citytech.cuny.edu/counseling/

Outline of class meetings

Class Meeting     Date Class Activity
1 Thursday, January 30, 2020 INTRODUCTION + NEIGHBORHOOD ASSIGNMENT RESEARCH
2 Thursday, February 06, 2020 NEIGHBORHOOD PRESENTATIONS/FILM SERIES
3 Thursday, February 13, 2020 FORM INITIAL TEAMS/FILM SERIES/SITE INTRO
4 Thursday, February 20, 2020 SITE WALK + SITE ANALYSIS/RESEARCH
5 Thursday, February 27, 2020 SITE INITIAL RESEARCH COMPILATION/PRESENTATION
6 Thursday, March 05, 2020 FORM FINAL TEAMS/RESEARCH QUESTION/HYPOTHESIS
7 Thursday, March 12, 2020 RESEARCH SEMINAR: New York Public Library Map & Local History Division
8 Thursday, March 19, 2020 SITE WALK + SITE ANALYSIS/RESEARCH
9 Thursday, March 26, 2020 RESEARCH SEMINAR: LIBRARY/ARCHIVES
10 Thursday, April 02, 2020 OUTLINE/ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY DEVELOPMENT
11 Thursday, April 23, 2020 RESEARCH PROGRESS REVIEW PRESENTATION
12 Thursday, April 30, 2020 OUTLINE/ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY/SCRIPT DEVELOPMENT
13 Thursday, May 07, 2020 SCRIPT DEVELOPMENT/PRESENTATION DEVELOPMENT
14 Thursday, May 14, 2020 PRESENTATION DEVELOPMENT
15 Thursday, May 21, 2020 FINAL PRESENTATIONS/REFLECTIONS

 

General Education Learning Outcomes / Assessment Methods

Learning Outcomes Assessment Methods

 
Upon successful completion of this course the student shall be able to:

 

 To evaluate the students’ achievement of the

learning objectives, the professor will do the

following:

 
1. Develop, purposefully connect and integrate knowledge from a range of architectural, urban studies, information science, and other disciplinary perspectives presented in the course.

 

 1. Review the final report assignment to evaluate integrative, multidisciplinary thinking.

 

 
2. Utilize skills in inquiry/analysis to derive meaning from experience as well as gather information from observation.

 

 2. Review the students’ site documentation report,

research notes, and diagrams

 
3. Demonstrate and apply information literacy aptitude by gathering, interpreting, evaluating and applying information discerningly from a variety of sources.

 

 3. Review the students’ research methodology proposal, annotated bibliography, and team research assignments to evaluate critical thinking and analysis across disciplines.

 

 

Interdisciplinary Learning Outcomes / Assessment Methods

 

Learning Outcomes Assessment Methods

 
Upon successful completion of this course the

student shall be able to:

 

 To evaluate the students’ achievement of the

learning objectives, the professor will do the

following:
1. Purposefully connect and integrate across-discipline knowledge and skills to solve problems.

 

 1. Review student reflections and Wikipedia assignment to evaluate integrative, multidisciplinary thinking.

 
2. Synthesize and transfer knowledge across disciplinary boundaries.

 

 2. Review student reflections and the final report

assignment to evaluate integrative,

multidisciplinary thinking
3. Comprehend factors inherent in complex problems.

 

 3. Review the students’ research methodology proposal, and bibliography to evaluate critical thinking and analysis across disciplines.

 
4. Think critically, communicate effectively, and

work collaboratively

 4. Review the students’ class participation and research notes and diagrams; review the final report to evaluate critical thinking, effective communication, and effective collaboration.

 
5. Become flexible thinkers. 5. Review the students’ site documentation report, notes, sketches, and photographs to evaluate the discovery process.

Course Intended Learning Outcomes / Assessment Methods

 

Learning Outcomes Assessment Methods

 
Upon successful completion of this course the

student shall be able to:

 

 To evaluate the students’ achievement of the

learning objectives, the professor will do the

following:

 
1. Use the city as a laboratory for learning. 1. Review the students’ site documentation reports, notes, sketches, and photographs to evaluate the care of observation and the reflection of important issues discovered.

 
2. Develop a methodological approach to research.

 

 2. Review the students’ research methodology proposal, annotated bibliography, and team research assignment to evaluate critical thinking and analysis across disciplines.

 

 
3. Understand the cultural, social and economic processes that guide the physical development of the built environment.

 

 3. Review the students’ research notes and diagrams; Review the team research assignment and the final report assignment to evaluate integrative, multidisciplinary thinking.

 

 
4. Use analytical skills to investigate places 4. Review the students’ site documentation report, notes, sketches, and photographs to evaluate the care of observation and the reflection of important issues discovered.

 
 

5. Develop, document, catalogue, and organize information to make it accessible to the public.

 

 5. Review the students’ site documentation report, notes, sketches, and photographs to evaluate the care of observation and the reflection of important issues discovered; review the final report to evaluate integrative, multidisciplinary thinking.

 
6. Apply observational skills to research and analysis.

 

 6. Review the students’ notes, sketches, and photographs to evaluate the care of observation and the reflection of important issues discovered.

 

 

Course Readings & Viewings

Architectural Technology Subject Guide, City Tech Library: http://libguides.citytech.cuny.edu/archtech

Digital Archives Materials, Purdue OWL: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/conducting_research/archival_research/digital_archives_materials.html

Evaluating Internet Sources, University of Illinois Libraries: https://www.library.illinois.edu/ugl/wp-content/uploads/sites/42/2017/07/evaluate_internet.pdf

Historic Maps as Historian’s Evidence, Newberry Library: http://publications.newberry.org/frontiertoheartland/exhibits/show/perspectives/historicmaps/mapsasevidence

Introduction to Archives, Purdue OWL: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/conducting_research/archival_research/index.html

Is It Plagiarism Yet? Purdue OWL: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/using_research/avoiding_plagiarism/is_it_plagiarism.html

Making Sense of Maps, George Mason University and the American Social History Project, CUNY http://historymatters.gmu.edu/mse/maps/

McCandless, David. “The Beauty of Data Visualization.” [Video]. Ted Talks. July 2010. http://www.ted.com/talks/david_mccandless_the_beauty_of_data_visualization

Primary and Secondary Sources, UCLA: https://uclalibrary.github.io/research-tips/primary-secondary/

Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing, Purdue OWL: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/using_research/quoting_paraphrasing_and_summarizing/index.html

Rothman, Joshua. “Why is Academic Writing So Academic.” New Yorker. 20 Feb. 2014. http://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/why-is-academic-writing-so-academic

Students Can’t Access Essential Research http://www.righttoresearch.org/learn/problem/index.shtml

Superfund Site: Gowanus Canal Brooklyn NY https://cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/cursites/csitinfo.cfm?id=0206222

Vida Maliene, Vytautas Grigonis, Vytautas PaleviÄŤius, and Sam Griffiths. “Geographic Information System: Old Principles with New Capabilities.” URBAN DESIGN International 16.1 (2011): 1. (handout)

What are archives and how do they differ from libraries? Society of American Archivists: http://www2.archivists.org/usingarchives/whatarearchives

What is Zoning? Center for Urban Pedagogy: http://welcometocup.org/Projects/EnvisioningDevelopment/WhatIsZoning & http://welcometocup.org/file_columns/0000/0530/cup-whatiszoning-guidebook.pdf

Why and How to Avoid Plagiarism, City Tech Library: http://library.citytech.cuny.edu/instruction/plagiarism/index.php

ZoLa, New York City Zoning and Land Use Map: https://zola.planning.nyc.gov/about#9.72/40.7125/-73.733

Digital Platforms & Databases
Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals http://cityte.ch/aiap

Carto https://carto.com/

NYPL Map Warper http://dev.maps.nypl.org/warper/

Prezi https://prezi.com

Sketchup http://www.sketchup.com

Social Explorer http://cityte.ch/soe

Tableau Public https://public.tableau.com/s/

Urban Layers http://io.morphocode.com/urban-layers/

Bibliography

Devine, Jane, and Egger-Sider, Francine. Going Beyond Google Again: Strategies for Using and Teaching the Invisible Web. Chicago: ALA-Neal Schuman, 2013.

Jackson, Kenneth T. The Encyclopedia of New York City, 2nd edition. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2010.

Miller, Kristine F. Designs on the Public: The Private Lives of New York’s Public Spaces. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2007.

Additional Resources

Brooklyn Historical Society https://www.brooklynhistory.org/

Green Book Online http://a856-gbol.nyc.gov/GBOLWebsite/home.aspx

Guide to Researching Historic Buildings in New York City https://www1.nyc.gov/site/lpc/designations/guide-to-researching-historic-buildings.page

Historic Districts Council https://hdc.org/

Municipal Arts Society https://www.mas.org/

Municipal Arts Society A tale of Two Rezonings: Taking a Harder Look at CEQR https://www.mas.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/ceqr-report-2018.pdf

Neighborhood Preservation Center’s designation report database http://www.neighborhoodpreservationcenter.org/content/nyc-landmark-designation-reports

New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission https://www1.nyc.gov/site/lpc/index.page

New York City Records & Information Services Municipal Archives and Library https://www1.nyc.gov/site/records/about/municipal-archives.page  https://www1.nyc.gov/site/records/about/municipal-library.page