Module: Public Participation (Town and Regional Planning)
An essay which describes, analyses, evaluates and suggests improvements for a ‘space of participation’ which you have either observed or read about.
（Maximum of 1000 words）
Purpose of the assessment:
The craft of academic analysis involves making judgments about which theory applies to the situation at hand. Training that judgment requires empirical knowledge, a sensitivity to local conditions and local meaning, and critical reasoning whether the assumptions and implications of a theory sufficiently fit the particularities of the concrete situation.
Assessment criteria are:
knowledge of the subject area, going beyond material covered directly in the classes
ability to engage critically with relevant literature
ability to make analytical connections between conceptual debates and issues of policy and practice, demonstrated through critical analysis of participation practices
Ability to make connections between participation practices and the wider political-social-economic context.
ability to identify problems in practice, and to propose possible (feasible) solutions
ability to construct a coherent argument;
and………….
an acceptable academic writing style, including the use of the Harvard referencing system.
There is a very good and useful website on public participation, called Participedia: http://participedia.net It contains lots of cases and background material. It might be useful for your assessment.
*This module is very difficult and I think it is extremely important to study the knowledge in every PowerPoint (from Literature 1- 6 IMPORTANT) at first. Read lots of materials (some recommended literatures, articles and books). Read the Chapter One of Dewey.
*You need to write an outline of this assessment at first, and the professor will give you some suggestion to support you finish this essay. In the outline, you should write the structure of the assessment and approximate word number in each part. The outline could not be too general or abstract. It is best to begin with the details of the case. What is the case about? Does it present a puzzle to you or to policy makers? Who is involved? What are the problems and challenges that the various actors in the case at facing? Once you have immersed yourself in the details of the case, you begin to look for theories and concepts that help you understand the case. But to be able to do this you need to have read the literature so that you have a detailed understanding of what the various authors write about. Without extensive reading you simply can’t write the essay.