due Sep 26

In Chapter 3, Rome: How did the Ancient Romans Navigate? Mask tells us about an MIT professor, Kevin Lynch, who wanted to answer the question, “What makes certain cities pleasurable?” After spending some time in Florence, Italy, Lynch determined that the city was “imageable” because it was “well-formed, distinct, and remarkable” and easy to navigate because it contains highly distinguished landmarks. Lynch used this experience to figure out how people in other places view their own cities and familiar places.

Eventually, Lynch created five categories in order to describe cities. These include paths, nodes, edges, landmarks, and districts. (You can refresh your memory about what these terms mean on page 64 of the book.)

For this lesson’s discussion in 150 – 250 words:

1. Reflect and Write: Think about these categories as you begin to find, imagine, and develop “vocabulary” to describe your own place or space you have chosen to write about in your Narrative of Place essay assignment. Discuss some of the ways you can emphasize or incorporate Lynch’s ideas of finding “new vocabulary” to describe your unique place. Write about the terms that apply to your place/space, and discuss how you might expand upon some of these elements in your final revisions. Maybe you’ve included some of these ideas without even knowing it! Not all five of these categories may apply to your chosen place, and that’s fine. You don’t need to refer to the terms in your paper, but this is just a way to think about your descriptions and add to them. For example, one of Lynch’s categories is “paths.” If you are writing about your grandma’s house and your memories of visits there, this might make you think about the sidewalk in front of her house and how it was tree-lined and full of irises in springtime. “Landmarks” might remind you of the corner store at the end of her block. Descriptions like these can help you develop some finishing touches.
2. Question: Pose a question to your classmates that you had when considering this week’s discussion prompt. Be sure to make it an open-ended question (How? Why? What if?).
3. Connect and Reply: After completing your discussion, reply to at least two classmates’ postings by answering their questions and elaborating on them. Think of this discussion board as a collaborative peer editing exercise. Provide feedback and/or ask questions. If you like a particular phrase or idea, let your classmate know. If you do not understand a term or description, let your classmate know that, too. Be constructive and helpful in your responses.

Scaffolding: This writing assignment provides you with an opportunity to practice academic writing in a low-stakes environment (e.g., moving from general to specific, providing support for claims, organizing your ideas). This chapter provides a model for the kind of exploration we’re producing in our Narratives of Place (e.g., specificity, setting the scene, telling a story, engaging the reader).