What exactly makes a hangout place? Keeping this in mind, I think of all the places my friends and I have spontaneously gathered over the years, those spontaneous gatherings becoming more routine until finally we claim one spot as ours. This spot could have been a table at a particular café, an abandoned row in a bookstore or perhaps a couple of stairs large enough to carry a few people. These places, whether visited by one or a few at a time can evolve to carry a holy essence to them, either because you can be one with others or yourself. Through this project, I plan on exploring why certain groups of people gravitate towards certain spots and the purpose of the spots when they were built in order to attract people.
The primary focus ultimately depends upon where society would lead me, for example, what places or shops around campus hold social importance and why? Other than exploring why the place holds value at the current time period, I would also find out the history of the place. For example, if there was a coffee shop, with what purpose was the place built and what audience did it have in mind. Ultimately, through this project, I would like to explore why people gravitate toward these places and why they are needed in society. (227)
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Oldenburg, Ray. The Great Good Place: Cafés, Coffee Shops, Community Centers, Beauty Parlors, General Stores, Bars, Hangouts, and How They Get You through the Day. New York: Paragon House, 1989. Print.
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I see your topic has evolved from benches to entire "chill spots." I think you should add a psychological touch to your research, since a person's preference to where to be (or in this case sit) is related to their subconscious mind. This might be a stretch, but it would fit well in your introduction.
ReplyDeleteYou will probably have to speak to a lot of students and other people around campus and ask them questions about why they go where they do, and what they think about it. It will be interesting to hear other peoples perspectives on places around campus, and see if they might be different from mine or someone else's depending on their experiences there
ReplyDeleteI applaud you for being so super-original in this topic :)
ReplyDeleteI sort of know what your thesis is, but you didn't underline it, so I'm not totally sure. Are you gonna look at hang-out spots on campus? Or in general? Cause if you talk to people I'm sure you can figure out the popular places to go between class.
And it's really interesting an everything, but and I think I know your angle, but Idk about your focus. Are you doing coffee shops/benches, and if so which ones, and what aspects about them are you looking at? Location, "bigness" (as opposed to tiny benches where not as many people can gather?). Also, it would be really cool to look at things like weather. Do people have backup hangout spots when their bench is out in the middle of the monsoon?
Just curious :) This has soooo much potential to be soooo interesting, cause seriously, who studies benches?? HUM SCHOLARS! :D
I appreciate you picking such a creative topic!
ReplyDeleteI'm just wondering what exactly your thesis is. I have an idea, but you didn't really underline it.
I would also say to re-word some of your sentences, because at certain points in the proposal I don't quite understand what you're trying to get across. You have a lot of great ideas, just organize them a little.
Where is your thesis? I think it's the bit about the function of public places, but it's not underlined. I think your topic is really interesting and you can go far with it. Also, you're missing your primary sources.
ReplyDeleteNice topic. As everyone else has been saying... where is the thesis? I feel as though, the fact that I couldn't find it if it wasn't underlined, also means that you need to be more specific with it.
ReplyDeleteThis is going to be such an intriguing project! Hang outs effect everyone, especially people on campus, yet no one ever really thinks about them in the in which you are exploring them. This is kind of a reach I suppose, but this makes me wonder if there are places where there should be benches and places to hang out where there are none...if that makes sense? Anyways, just make the thesis a bit more precise, and I think this will be really good.
ReplyDeleteI'm loving this already, but I do agree with George. The thesis wasn't very clear. I really liked your intro.
ReplyDeleteI agree with George-- Your thesis is not very clear for the reader. Work on clarifying your argument in your intro.
ReplyDeleteAlso..are you writing about benches or just using them as a main example for chill spots?
Are benches your primary social gathering location example? Or are they just one of many examples of social gathering places? To simplify, are we focusing on one or many examples? I love how you talk about the necessity of these places. The proposal is really well written, keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteSometimes I like to take a longer route when im going somewhere on campus just to get a short walk in, and one time I pictured it without benches. Let me tell you: campus doesn't look as good without benches. It's uninviting. I like your topic! it's very original.
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