HIST 499: UNDERGRADUATE INDEPENDENT STUDY

Prof. Margaret O'Mara
Department of History

UW undergraduate and graduate students are invited to work directly with me in independent study on a range of specific research projects exploring the growth of global high-tech clusters in broader historical perspective.

Currently, students are receiving 1-2 History credits for working with me on projects such as:

• A Tale of Three Research Parks:  The glass-clad and lushly landscaped corporate research park has long been a feature of the American suburban landscape, and it more recently has appeared in sometimes unlikely places across the world, especially in the rapidly growing urban landscapes of India and China. Students work with me to compare the history of land use and land ownership of research parks in California; Bangalore, India; and Guangdong Province, China to illustrate the very different historical drivers of development in the three places.
• Suburbs in India and China:  One feature of global Silicon Valleys is the growth of gated residential communities and luxury residential high-rises in places where they did not exist before.  Students conduct historical research about the prevailing residential styles and land use patterns in urban India pre-1980 (going back to colonial era) and urban China pre-1990 and analyze the different types of 'suburban-style' development emerging there today.
• Policy, Land Use, and Entrepreneurship:  Students learn about the policy and legal drivers of the growth of innovation economies in the US, and conduct comparative research to assess whether these frameworks exist in other developed and developing nations.  They assess “special economic zone” and other land and tax policies to encourage foreign direct investment and high-tech activity, and analyze key policies driving innovation, entrepreneurship, and dates of implementation. 
• “Next Silicon Valley” Database:  Students are working with me to create a comprehensive and updated web-based resource featuring regions around the world that have called themselves “Silicon” to advertise and attract high-tech clustering.  The database will discuss when the title was first adapted, and by whom, and feature relevant and current web links.

 The students who work with me are expected to:

• Meet with me on a weekly basis during the quarter to determine the research tasks for the week.
• Submit a 100-word biweekly report via email before 5PM every Friday that documents the hours worked, summarizes the tasks performed that week, identifies research problems, notes promising research findings, and attaches summary reports as necessary.
• For every one credit earned, the student will have a reading and writing load equivalent to 200 pages of reading assignments and one five-page paper (although written product may take other forms).
• The deliverables will depend on the task or tasks chosen and the number of hours worked.  All will be expected to be complete and submitted to the instructor by the last day of finals week for a satisfactory grade.

Participation in independent study is by selection of the instructor only. If you are interested in learning more about this opportunity for future quarters, please contact me. In your email, please tell me why you are interested, relevant educational and professional background, and your other commitments during the quarter. Please also attach a current resume and unofficial transcript. During the terms in which I am teaching, I respond to email within 24 hours.