Your final assignment will be to write a review essay. Your essay should review four or more books, preferably published since 1993, on any area related to the general topic of urban social structures. I encourage you to seek out areas that fill gaps not covered by the course readings. Review essays are not simply compilations of book summaries. Instead they are intended to locate the new work in the context of the larger literature it draws upon, critique the merits of the book especially in relation to common themes which unite the books, and offer well reasoned opinions about where individually and collectively the books are taking us.
Conciseness is important.
To help you get started on the review, each student will locate several review essays in journals, read them, and create a list of characteristics of good reviews. A paper which identifies the review essays you examined and outlines the characteristics that were common to good reviews should be ready for the second session, October 5 th . This paper should be no longer than one page and will be graded as part of you review essay assignment. There will be no final exam. During the period scheduled for the final exam we will have an informal discussion of the books covered in your review essays .