INDIVIDUAL CASE STUDY RESEARCH PROJECT ( 20% individual paper; 10% group ethnography presentation. )

This individual research project is your opportunity to examine in depth an issue or theme in the course as it is articulated or played out in a particular case (e.g, a community or site) in Los Angeles. Using course materials, library research and ethnographic methods, you will develop an analysis of the semiotic and performative dynamics of a specific site or venue -- that is, a performance space, theme park, historical site, commercial site, "natural" site, museum, evolving built landscape, community or iconic text in the Los Angeles area. The culmination of your research is a paper of 8 typed, double-spaced pages plus bibliography, due to be posted by classtime for the final exam.

In April - check your course schedule for the date - post a one-page prospectus on the newsgroup, identifying the following:

  1. Focus of the research: what is the specific site, text, performance, or event you will focus on?
  2. Relevance and significance of this site or text: why choose this site/event? How is it relevant to the course and significant to LA generally or a particular community?
  3. Method of approach: how will you explore the site?
  4. Preliminary bibliography: at least 3 sources at this point. (Note: Do not list Google or other search engines as sources. They are not sources, they’re places to find sources – like a library)

Case Study Method: Every case study must involve research, fieldwork and semiotic analysis. You will do library research on your case’s origins and history and ethnographic fieldwork at the site. Record your experiences in the place and interviews with relevant people on its history, evolution and present status. Interviews also should engage people on what this site means to them, and why.

More detail on how to proceed with the LA ethnography project:

Historical and news research: Don’t rely on the materials available through the place's website - that only gives you one perspective on the place (generally a positive one). You’ll need to search news and history sources from the origins through to the present day. You may find stories of events and people that comprise a more complete and authentic history of its origins and development to today – not just the edited history for promotional purposes. These sources also will give you an historical context for analyzing its significance to the city - to particular communities, cultures,
and other interests (commerce for instance) – in its various phases. For local history and archives, use the “California & LA Archives & Resources” section of the 301 research resources page, and also additional sources posted on the newsgroup.

** A note on wikipedia – While this may be useful as you begin your research, this is not a reliable source and its content is not always credible, can be incomplete and sometimes is downright wrong. Its content is constantly changing, it’s not monitored or centrally edited and is easily sabotaged. Do not use this as a scholarly or historical source. Sometimes entries are excellent and the most solid ones will also provide endnotes and bibliographies – which you can then find on your own and use - but wikipedia entries are not acceptable sources for this paper.

Analysis of the site as iconic of Los Angeles: Look in scholarly books and journals in cultural geography, popular culture criticism, semiotics of place, urban architecture and analyses of built environments– I posted on the newsgroup several books to give you a sampling of sources; you’ll be able to find others more specific to your particular site. You want to analyze its visual semiotics– how it represents a significant image, theme or resource of the area, and how these meanings developed through various phases of its history.

Ethnographic fieldwork and research: As we’ll discuss in class, you want to be a reflexive participant observer on your several visits to the site. Analyze the space itself and how it’s designed, how it enables and constrains bodies moving through the space. Pay attention to where your attention is drawn, where open access beckons and what areas or spaces are masked, hidden or otherwise off-limits to the public. Watch how you behave and compare it to how others interact with the space and perhaps with each other. Find sources analyzing built environments like the Goss article in the course schedule.

Find a range of people to interview. Try to find a staff member who has worked at the site for a while and can give you firsthand experiences of changes s/he’s seen over time, as well as "backstage" stories and insights. Also do interviews with a range of visitors – 1st-time tourists as well as locals who visit regularly. This will give you multiple perspectives on the site.

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Students will be placed into groups based on common themes, issues, or sites examined in the individual case research projects. Groups will develop a presentation/performance that integrates individual case studies into a cohesive whole. NOTE: This is not intended to be a string of individual presentations. Rather, participants are expected to find common threads, overarching themes, and/or points of difference that will contribute to the continuation of learning in the class. Evaluation of the Group Presentation includes peer assessment of individual students’ contributions to the group along with an assessment of the panel presentation.