This week was a very big week in regards to development of my research project. I was able to formulate the trajectory of my research in a way that situates my topic closer to the city of the Philadelphia. I found a large amount of new source material including a number of secondary sources that helped me to get a better understanding of the topic that I thought I wanted to do. The reformulation of my research scope is something that I did expect when I started my paper but I really didn’t expect it to change as much as it has. Although my topic has changed drastically I think that the change in my research and questions/arguments in general has been good for the end point of my project. I think it has allowed me to reach a point where my paper will no longer have “fluff” in it and will include solely practical claims with its respected backing.
At this point I am very satisfied with where I am in regards to my paper. As of re-doing the proposal for my research I have also began to write my historiography. For the portion of the paper my secondary sources are of the most upmost importance. Although the secondary sources are what I need to focus on for this portion I feel as though the lines between the two are somewhat blurred here. It is difficult to really determine where the primary and secondary sources lye because the time period for the development of urban highway systems in the Philadelphia area is far form over. Regardless of where my primary sources are I am very excited about where I am in regards to the development of my project.