My research internship was in the Department of Geography’s New Cities Lab under the supervision of Professor Sarah Moser. The New Cities Lab explores many interesting projects related to the global proliferation of new master planned cities- from urban mega projects built on man-made islands to new capital cities rising from the middle of deserts. The main project that I worked on explores the state-owned Korea Land & Housing Corporation (LH) as an understudied global new city builder and as a key agent in the transnational circulation of the ‘Korean new town model’. Using content analysis of official promotional and government material, we examined how South Korean companies gained global prominence in designing and building new cities in places such as Bolivia, Tanzania, and Kuwait. My main tasks included conducting a literature review, presenting our research at an academic workshop, creating maps, and writing the first draft of the article.
I wanted to pursue an ARIA because it is a unique chance to gain independent research experience during my undergrad and further engage with the material that I have been exposed to in class. Overall, I wanted to develop my qualitative research skills, which I believe will help me in future jobs or graduate studies. Specifically, I wanted to refine my literature review skills, learn how to conduct interviews, apply to the Research Ethics Board, and understand the publishing process. Despite being assigned countless articles to read for class, the academic publishing process remains something of a black box to students. So, I was grateful to get a ‘behind the scenes’ look into the entire process by which a project goes from an idea to a manuscript. From writing long REB applications to countless drafts, it was way more work than I thought it would be. The reason that I pursued this ARIA project in particular was Prof. Moser’s class, New Master Planned Cities (GEOG 325), which piqued my interest in new cities and urban policy mobilities.
My day-to-day largely consisted of solo desk-based research. I read journal articles, took notes on primary sources, and rewrote the same sentences dozens of times. At first, organizing my thoughts (and citations) while conducting the literature review was overwhelming, as there was just so much to read. Two things saved me: (1) creating a spreadsheet where I outlined every article’s main contribution to the literature and relevance to our project, and (2) learning how to use Zotero, a reference managing software, to expedite the citation process. Doing a remote internship, especially a research-based one, can be a bit isolating. I found it helpful to vary my work environment by going to cafes, libraries, and my lab’s office space in addition to working from home.
Throughout my internship, I was thankful for the confidence that my supervisor put in me as a researcher, especially considering my position as an undergraduate student. One of the main highlights was being given the opportunity to present our research plan at an academic workshop for the public alongside her graduate students and some visiting scholars. Although it was a nerve-wracking experience, it was good practice for my public speaking skills. I was also surprised but grateful to be given the chance to write the first draft of paper. Another highlight was having frequent lunches or lab meetings with my supervisor and her graduate students where we could share research goals, challenges, and tips. Seeing and learning from the graduate students let me get a taste of what being a master’s student would be like.
One of my main goals of the summer was to use the ARIA experience to determine whether a research-based graduate program was for me. It was very important to me to get research experience in my undergraduate degree so that I knew what I was getting into if I ever pursued graduate school. Thanks to the amazing academic opportunities that my supervisor gave me, I felt like I was able to get a great ‘trial run’ of graduate studies through the ARIA and am definitely considering pursuing a master’s degree one day. Even if I choose not to pursue graduate school, my ARIA internship drastically improved my ability to write, synthesize information, and conduct independent research.
Special thanks again to Prof. Moser for her guidance and support this summer. Additional thanks to Dr. Youjung Kim and The New Cities Lab for including me in their projects, and to the Arts Internship office for making this summer possible.
