Essay Outline and Annotated Bibliography

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CHST 118: The City in History Essay Outline and Annotated Bibliography/Research Essay Topics

1. Identify a modern urban centre that interests you. You will use this city as the basis for your Essay Outline and Annotated Bibliography and later your Research Essay. Keep in mind that while it is perfectly acceptable to choose a small or large city anywhere in the world, due to the nature of the resources available to you at Ryerson and in Toronto (and with all libraries being closed), you will likely find more resources on a larger city and particularly one in North America. 2. Choose one of the historical themes listed below that interests you and focus on this in relation to the city of your choosing. If there is a theme that you would like to focus on that is not included on this list, you must obtain my approval. Amusements and/or entertainment Architecture and design Class Commerce or industry Consumerism Crime and/or violence Culture Death and/or disease Decline or ascendance of Downtown core Gendered populations or spaces Geographic location (for example, proximity to waterways) Homelessness or poverty Housing (including urban ghettos or slums) Migration (internal or external) Infrastructure Media and/or movie portrayals Neighbourhoods (including gentrification or ethnic enclaves) Planning Politics and governance Public transportation (the advent of the streetcar or subway) Public spaces (including parks, squares, monuments or skyscrapers) Race, ethnicity and/or diverse populations Sport and leisure Sex and sexuality Urban vs. rural divide Urban vs. suburban divide

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3. When choosing your city and theme you will need to conduct research in order to make sure it is a viable one. A good starting point is the Ryerson University Library and Archives (RULA) Website. Please follow the instructions below to access historical databases. Researching Sources a. Go to https://library.ryerson.ca/ b. At the top of the screen, select “Databases” and “History” c. These databases that will help you conduct primary source research, to assess if your topic is a viable one, and secondary source research for your annotated bibliography and essay. d. You may also find it useful to contact the Ryerson Library where you can obtain research help. You can book an appointment at the following: https://library.ryerson.ca/guides/book-an- appointment/. Secondary Sources I recommend the following databases, where you will find journal articles of a historical nature: America: History and Life, JSTOR and Project Muse. e. You can also find individual journals and newspapers by searching under the “Journals and Newspapers” section of the main page of the Ryerson library website. For example, the Journal of American History, Journal of Planning History, Journal of Social History, Journal of Urban History, Urban History and Urban History Review will be particularly useful. Here, you can also find newspapers such as the Chicago Tribune, Globe and Mail, London Daily Mail, London Evening Standard, Los Angeles Times, Montreal Gazette, New York Times and Washington Post. Newspapers can also be a good starting point for conducting research on your city and the major themes, topics and issues that have impacted the city. 4. Other resources include the Toronto Public Library and Google Books 5. Please note that while you are required to include 5 scholarly secondary sources in your annotated bibliography and your essay, you may include additional primary sources if you like. For primary sources (aside from the newspapers listed above), I recommend US government websites such as the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), the Library of Congress (LOC), or databases such as “Proquest Historical Newspapers.” Please note that while you may include primary sources in your essay, you should not include them in your annotated bibliography. 6. These are guidelines to help you choose a topic of interest to you. Please use them in conjunction with the Essay Outline and Annotated Bibliography instructions, both of which are posted on D2L and will be discussed in class.