Write a research paper on a current issue using theory and concepts from economic geography. Topic: The University of Toronto is changing. International tuition is rising. There is a mental health crisis on campus where students are demanding improved services, program and policy changes, and increased material supports. Instruction is increasingly being carried out by sessional instructors, supervised by a growing amount of administrative staff. The province has clawed back funding and restructured student fees. Today, provincial support accounts for less than a third of the total university budget. To make up for this, the University has expanded enrolment in expensive professional programs and seeks to expand international enrolment. However the austerity does not seem to impact the enormous capital projects on campus, including the new AI centre. In what ways is the University privatized, neoliberalized and financialized?

Organization: The paper should have a creative title There should be an introduction which outlines the argument and the paper, with a clear thesis statement and argument. Introductions should introduce the paper and the argument (not just the topic). This could be followed by a theoretical framework section that explores a relevant theory from the course or economic geography. The main body of the paper should be used to forward the argument. Use description to map out the connections between actors, spaces, power relationships and flows of capital. However, description is not enough, it is important to develop and forward the argument in the paper. The conclusion should summarize the main points of the argument. Use research and findings from the annotated bibliography. Tips: A successful paper will present an original argument of its own. It will use others’ work to substantiate its position. A successful paper will move beyond simple paraphrasing of research from the annotated bibliography, but will utilize these texts to bring original insight and data to course concepts. The paper should use course themes. Try to keep your paper narrowly focused, avoid broad generalization, being too descriptive, or overly comparative. Avoid simply summarizing the materials: try to find an original thesis that weaves your sources and data together. This paper should seek de-naturalize assumptions about people, places and processes. Why are some countries called “advanced” or “developed” and why are some are allegedly not. Critically think about why some workers and jobs are allegedly “skilled” and which are “unskilled”. Why is some work “innovative” and “creative” and other work is not. An important task is to determine who has power and who does not? Does an uber driver or student intern have the power that their employers have? Do consumers have the power that executives have? In other words, you do not want to naturalize hierarchies of class, race, gender and ability: your task is to disturb the simplistic story that suggests evolution from uncivilized to civilized, from backward to modern, from undeveloped to developed, from uncreative to creative. Developing the argument is more important than description Have an original title Use subheadings to separate ideas Paraphrasing and summarizing sources is better than directly quoting Focus on clarity, simple clear writing is preferred Presentation matters, make sure the document looks good Explore the history of the space or sector The network of actors involved and their power relationships The geography of work, capital, production, distribution and consumption The various cultural meanings and contested politics of the space or sector Requirements: 2000-2200 words (not including title page and bibliography, only the main body text) Minimum 4 scholarly sources (not already on the syllabus) Minimum 4 popular sources Double spaced, 12 point Times New Roman (or similar serif font) Cite all lecture material APA citation style for all in text citations and bibliography