For this paper, you will read the article, The Beholding Eye, written by geographer Donald Meinig. He has some very interesting and geographic ways of looking at cities. I want you to understand more about your city. Then you will choose 5 of the different ways he looks at landscapes and use it as you analyze your own city. My city is Placentia, CA. Make sure you read and understand what he means by each category and then make your choice. Your paper will be 3-4 pages, typed and double-spaced. It will be a college-level writing paper. Look over the rubric I have posted on Canvas. Understand the qualities of a good paper.
Now is the time to dig into your City. Research online about its history, how it was founded. What was here before all of the houses? What makes it unique? What types of housing? What are the most beautiful places? Who made significant contributions to your city? Read the article and get to know your city on a deeper level.
Make sure you use citations, and have a works cited page. You can use online sources. Cities have websites, they have history sections, they have parks department and other places to look for information. Also, there are books an articles written about most of our cities so there are plenty of resources.
An example – A really unique and beautiful place in Placentia, my city, is Tri-City Regional Park. A regional park means that it is protected by more than one city ( Artman, 1998). Tri-City Park is protected by Brea, Fullerton, and Placentia (City of Placentia website). This helps in funding the park for maintenance and making improvements. Now, I can talk about looking at this through the historical lens, or sense of place lens, or one of the other ways Meinig looks at cities.
If you are going to define “sense of place” you can look it up for definition (or quote Meinig, or if I have explained it in a presentation, use that. I have attached Meinig to this description as an attachment.
You will use many sources (at least 4 including Meinig’s article). You must use the Meinig Article, and use your textbook, use the City’s website, or maybe your city has a Historical Committee.
Make sure you add a Works Cited Page and cite your sources in your writing. You can use APA, MLA, Chicago Style or ask me about others. Refer to the Purdue Owl Webpage for information on citations.
https://owl.purdue.edu
This is worth up to 100 points so do great work.
This is in place of a final exam, so it cannot be turned in after May 13.
This is the name of the book: State of the World: Can a City Be Sustainable?
