DOCSLIB.ORG

A-Level Biology

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
A-Level Biology R I P L E Y S T T H O M A S A-LEVEL BIOLOGY B R I D G I N G B O O K L E T THIS PACK CONTAINS A CONTENTS: PROGRAMME OF ACTIVITIES Transition Tasks AND RESOURCES TO PREPARE Book & Film Recommendations YOU FOR A-LEVEL BIOLOGY. THE COMPULSORY Research Activities TRANSITION TASKS AT THE Science on Social Media BEGINNING MUST BE DONE FOR Science Websites SEPTEMBER, YOU WILL BE Knowledge Builders ASSESSED ON THESE. Mini Assessment Further Links KEY INFO: We follow Pearson Edexcel Biology B. The specification can be found here: https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qua lifications/edexcel-a-levels/biology-b- 2015.html If you have any questions please contact [email protected] R I P L E Y S T T H O M A S TRANSITION TASKS B R I D G I N G B O O K L E T Important: These are the compulsory tasks 1,2&3 you will need to have complete by September. Particularly focus on learning the structures of those biological molecules off by heart! Task 1: Biological Molecules & Cell Organelles Bio Mols Bio Mols Cell Organelles Cell Organelles Cell Organelles Tasks 2&3 : Maths in Biology Maths is of vital importance across the A-level Biology course. Every topic you learn will involve different mathematical skills, some of which you will already be familiar with. The following tasks are designed to reacquaint you with some key skills, and then introduce you to new ones. You will be expected to hand in these answers during your first week in September. 1: Units & measurements 1: Units & measurements 2: Rearranging formulae 2: Rearranging formulae 3: Standard Deviation 3: Standard Deviation 4: Scale bars 4: Scale bars R I P L E Y S T T H O M A S RECOMMENDATIONS B R I D G I N G B O O K L E T Whether it be book, film, TV show or Ted talk, there a hundreds of productions you may not have thought had a link to Biology! Get your teeth stuck into some of these this Summer! Thanks to Pixl for these recommendations! Kick back this summer with a good read. The books below are all popular science books and great for extending your understanding of Biology. The Red Queen Its all about sex. Or sexual selection at least. This book will really help your understanding of evolution and particularly the fascinating role of sex in evolution. Available at amazon.co.uk Junk DNA A Short History of Nearly Our DNA is so much Everything more complex than you A whistle-stop tour through many probably realize, this aspects of history from the Big Bang to book will really deepen now. This is a really accessible read that your understanding of will re-familiarise you with common all the work you will do concepts and introduce you to some of on Genetics. Available the more colourful characters from the at amazon.co.uk history of science! Available at amazon.co.uk Studying Geography as well? Hen’s teeth and horses toes Stephen Jay Gould is a great Evolution writer and this book discusses lots of fascinating stories about Geology and evolution. Available at amazon.co.uk An easy read.. Frankenstein’s cat Discover how glow in the dark fish are made and more great Biotechnology breakthroughs. Available at amazon.co.uk © Copyright The PiXL Club Ltd, 2016 Everyone loves a good story and everyone loves some great science. Here are some of the picks of the best films based on real life scientists and discoveries. You wont find Jurassic Park on this list, we’ve looked back over the last 50 years to give you our top 5 films you might not have seen before, along with some newer productions. Gorillas in the Mist (1988) Blackfish (2013) An absolute classic that retells tells the story of Tilikum, a notoriously the true story of the life and aggressive orca that killed three people work of Dian Fossey and her while in captivity. Director Gabriela work studying and protecting Cowperthwaite uses shocking footage mountain gorillas from and emotional interviews to present a poachers and habitat loss. A convincing case against keeping these tear jerker. wild animals for human entertainment. Andromeda Inherit The Wind Strain (1971) (1960) Science fiction by Great if you can find the great thriller it. Based on a real life writer Michael trial of a teacher Cricthon (he of accused of the crime Jurassic Park of teaching Darwinian fame). Humans evolution in school in begin dying when America. Does the Seaspiracy (2021) an alien microbe debate rumble on A documentary film about the arrives on Earth. today? environmental impact of fishing. The film examines various human impacts Lorenzo’s Oil on marine life and advocates for Something the Lord Made (1992) ending fish consumption (2004) Based on a true story. Professor Snape (the late A young child suffers great Alan Rickman) in a very from an autoimmune different role. The film tells disease. The parents the story of the scientists at research and the cutting edge of early challenge doctors to heart surgery as well as develop a new cure issues surrounding racism at for his disease. the time. Pandemic (2020) In this docuseries, meet the heroes on Contagion (2011) the front lines of The death of Beth Emhoff and the battle against her son leads to the discovery of influenza and learn a deadly virus. While the US about their efforts Centers for Disease Control to stop the next struggles to curb its spread, global outbreak. worldwide panic ensues. There are some great TV series and box sets available too, you might want to check out: Blue Planet, Planet Earth, The Ascent of Man, Catastrophe, Frozen Planet, Life Story, The Hunt and Monsoon. If you have 30 minutes to spare, here are some great presentations (and free!) from world leading scientists and researchers on a variety of topics. They provide some interesting answers and ask some thought-provoking questions. Use the link or scan the QR code to view: A New Superweapon in the Fight Against Cancer Available at : http://www.ted.com/talks/paula_hammond _a_new_superweapon_in_the_fight_against _cancer?language=en Cancer is a very clever, adaptable disease. To defeat it, says medical researcher and educator Paula Hammond, we need a new and powerful mode of attack. Why Bees are Disappearing Available at : http://www.ted.com/talks/marla_spivak_wh y_bees_are_disappearing?language=en Honeybees have thrived for 50 million years, each colony 40 to 50,000 individuals coordinated in amazing harmony. So why, seven years ago, did colonies start dying en-masse? Why Doctors Don’t Know About the Drugs They Prescribe Available at : http://www.ted.com/talks/ben_goldacre_w hat_doctors_don_t_know_about_the_drugs _they_prescribe?language=en When a new drug gets tested, the results of the trials should be published for the rest of the medical world — except much of the time, negative or inconclusive findings go unreported, leaving doctors and researchers in the dark. Growing New Organs Available at : http://www.ted.com/talks/anthony_atala_gr owing_organs_engineering_tissue?language =en Anthony Atalla's state-of-the-art lab grows human organs — from muscles to blood vessels to bladders, and more. © Copyright The PiXL Club Ltd, 2016 R I P L E Y S T T H O M A S RESEARCH ACTIVITIES B R I D G I N G B O O K L E T The Big Picture is an excellent publication from the Wellcome Trust. Along with the magazine, the company produces posters, videos and other resources aimed at students studying for GCSEs and A level. For each of the following topics, you can use the resources to produce one page of Cornell style notes. Use the links of scan the QR code to take you to the resources. Research, reading and note making are essential skills for A level Biology study. For the following task you are going to produce ‘Cornell Notes’ to summarise your reading. 1. Divide your page into 2. Write the name, three sections like this date and topic at the top of the page 3. Use the large 4. Review and box to make notes. identify the key Leave a space points in the left between separate hand box idea. Abbreviate where possible. 5. Write a summary of the main ideas in the bottom space Images taken from http://coe.jmu.edu/learningtoolbox/cornellnotes.html © Copyright The PiXL Club Ltd, 2016 Topic 1: The Cell Available at: http://bigpictureeducation.com/cell The cell is the building block of life. Each of us starts from a single cell, a zygote, and grows into a complex organism made of trillions of cells. In this issue, we explore what we know – and what we don’t yet know – about the cells that are the basis of us all and how they reproduce, grow, move, communicate and die. Topic 2: The Immune System Available at: http://bigpictureeducation.com/immune The immune system is what keeps us healthy in spite of the many organisms and substances that can do us harm. In this issue, explore how our bodies are designed to prevent potentially harmful objects from getting inside, and what happens when bacteria, viruses, fungi or other foreign organisms or substances breach these barriers. Topic 3: Exercise, Energy and Movement Available at: http://bigpictureeducation.com/exercise-energy- and-movement All living things move. Whether it’s a plant growing towards the sun, bacteria swimming away from a toxin or you walking home, anything alive must move to survive.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Super-Curricular Suggestions
    Super- curricular suggestions Strong applicants to Cambridge and other competitive universities tend to have explored their chosen subject through wider reading outside the classroom, as well as doing very well in their GCSEs and A-levels. We call this sort of exploration ‘super-curricular’, as it builds on and enhances what you are studying in school. We do not expect you to pay for this sort of exploration and have endeavoured to provide resources that are mostly freely available. This selection of suggested reading lists and resources has been gathered from the Cambridge departmental and College websites, other universities and other sources on the internet. These lists are certainly NOT ‘required reading’ for Cambridge applicants. They simply provide some suggestions for places to start exploring your own interests in your chosen subject independently - you do not need to engage with any of the specific websites, books, podcasts etc mentioned and can easily find your own alternatives. The following lists are suggestions only. It is important to read critically by thinking carefully about the arguments, assumptions and evidence presented by the author. Reading is a great way to explore subjects that you find interesting – but there are many other ways to deepen your understanding: investigate your local museums, monuments, galleries and natural features, and think analytically about nature, machinery or the built environment. After the COVID-19 lockdown, perhaps you can visit some of these! The best thing about super-curricular activities is that there are no exams or deadlines to worry about – you are free to follow your own lines of enquiry into the areas that interest you the most.
    [Show full text]
  • Radio 4 Listings for 2 – 8 May 2020 Page 1 of 14
    Radio 4 Listings for 2 – 8 May 2020 Page 1 of 14 SATURDAY 02 MAY 2020 Professor Martin Ashley, Consultant in Restorative Dentistry at panel of culinary experts from their kitchens at home - Tim the University Dental Hospital of Manchester, is on hand to Anderson, Andi Oliver, Jeremy Pang and Dr Zoe Laughlin SAT 00:00 Midnight News (m000hq2x) separate the science fact from the science fiction. answer questions sent in via email and social media. The latest news and weather forecast from BBC Radio 4. Presenter: Greg Foot This week, the panellists discuss the perfect fry-up, including Producer: Beth Eastwood whether or not the tomato has a place on the plate, and SAT 00:30 Intrigue (m0009t2b) recommend uses for tinned tuna (that aren't a pasta bake). Tunnel 29 SAT 06:00 News and Papers (m000htmx) Producer: Hannah Newton 10: The Shoes The latest news headlines. Including the weather and a look at Assistant Producer: Rosie Merotra the papers. “I started dancing with Eveline.” A final twist in the final A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4 chapter. SAT 06:07 Open Country (m000hpdg) Thirty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Helena Merriman Closed Country: A Spring Audio-Diary with Brett Westwood SAT 11:00 The Week in Westminster (m000j0kg) tells the extraordinary true story of a man who dug a tunnel into Radio 4's assessment of developments at Westminster the East, right under the feet of border guards, to help friends, It seems hard to believe, when so many of us are coping with family and strangers escape.
    [Show full text]
  • Radio 4 Listings for 12 – 18 January 2013 Page
    Radio 4 Listings for 12 – 18 January 2013 Page 1 of 16 SATURDAY 12 JANUARY 2013 Grade 2 listed buildings but some have been destroyed by fire Dublin and others virtually abandoned by owners who can't afford the SAT 00:00 Midnight News (b01pp62f) development work. He helps assess one of the buildings with When the writer Joseph O'Connor was a child, his mother The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. experts from English Heritage who want to produce a database would take him for walks around their Dublin neighbourhood, Followed by Weather. on the state of Grade 2 listed buildings. and point out where James Joyce and John Synge had lived and Jules also explores nearby Middleton Hall which was so worked. neglected it was used as a motorbike track. Volunteers set up a SAT 00:30 Book of the Week (b01px4q3) trust and have spent 35 years bringing it back into use. "I grew up in Dun Laoghaire, a coastal town 8 miles south of The Examined Life However, they say their work is still not done. Dublin city where there was a pier and a waterfront, and the nightly entertainment in the summer when you were a teenager Episode 5 Produced by Anne-Marie Bullock. was to walk down the pier and look at the boats and the ferries leaving for London and wonder to yourself would you go to The world bedevils us. To make sense of it, we tell ourselves Manchester or Coventry. There was no notion that you'd stay in stories.
    [Show full text]
  • Jocelyn Bell Burnell
    DAME JOCELYN BELL BURNETT Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell Jocelyn is a Northern Irish born astrophysicist and astronomer, with a lifetime of inspiring scientific leadership in research, education and public service. Born 1943 in Lurgan to Quaker parents. Didn’t excel at Lurgan College, where girls were supposed to study less academic subjects. Aged 13, her parents sent her to The Mount School, York, a Quaker boarding school, where she flourished. She then went to Glasgow University, followed by post- grad studies in radio-astronomy at New Hall, Cambridge. Part of a team which built the 4-acre radio telescope to monitor quasers. Jocelyn painstakingly analysed reams of paper output, spotting curious signals in the data which were discovered to be a new type of object, later named pulsars. Findings published in 1968, with Jocelyn’s name second on the paper, to huge media interest: her supervisor was asked about astrophysics, Jocelyn quizzed about boyfriends and hair colour! The 2 senior professors awarded Nobel Prize for the discovery, which Jocelyn accepted with good grace. Married to a civil servant, Jocelyn had to move around the country with him, so worked at Southampton, London, and Edinburgh, and also from 1973 working with the Open University, where in 1991 she became Professor of Physics, doubling the number of women physics professors in the UK. Jocelyn has received numerous accolades and awards, becoming a Dame in 2007 for her services to astronomy. In 2018 she received a Special Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics, and donated all the £2.3 million prize money to the Bell Burnell Graduate Scholarship Fund which assists female, ethnic minority and refugee students in their research.
    [Show full text]
  • 30 March 2012 Page 1 of 17
    Radio 4 Listings for 24 – 30 March 2012 Page 1 of 17 SATURDAY 24 MARCH 2012 SAT 06:57 Weather (b01dc94s) The Scotland Bill is currently progressing through the House of The latest weather forecast. Lords, but is it going to stop independence in its tracks? Lord SAT 00:00 Midnight News (b01dc948) Forsyth Conservative says it's unlikely Liberal Democrat Lord The latest national and international news from BBC Radio 4. Steel thinks it will. Followed by Weather. SAT 07:00 Today (b01dtd56) With John Humphrys and James Naughtie. Including Yesterday The Editor is Marie Jessel in Parliament, Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day. SAT 00:30 Book of the Week (b01dnn41) Tim Winton: Land's Edge - A Coastal Memoir SAT 11:30 From Our Own Correspondent (b01dtd5j) SAT 09:00 Saturday Live (b01dtd58) Afghans enjoy New Year celebrations but Lyse Doucet finds Episode 5 Mark Miodownik, Luke Wright, literacy champion Sue they are concerned about what the months ahead may bring Chapman, saved by a Labradoodle, Chas Hodges Daytrip, Sarah by Tim Winton. Millican John James travels to the west African state of Guinea-Bissau and finds unexpected charms amidst its shadows In a specially-commissioned coda, the acclaimed author Richard Coles with materials scientist Professor Mark describes how the increasingly threatened and fragile marine Miodownik, poet Luke Wright, Sue Chapman who learned to The Burmese are finding out that recent reforms in their ecology has turned him into an environmental campaigner in read and write in her sixties, Maurice Holder whose life was country have encouraged tourists to return.
    [Show full text]
  • Jim Al-Khalili Meets…
    Jim Al-Khalili Meets… Prof. Jim Al-Khalili OBE Professor of Physics, University of Surrey Jim Al-Khalili is a Professor of Physics and Professor of Public Engagement in Science based at the University of Surrey, as well as an author and broadcaster. Jim obtained his PhD from the University of Surrey in 1989 and then spent two years doing post-doctoral work at University College London. In 1991, Jim returned to the University of Surrey and was appointed as a lecturer in 1992. In 2001 Jim was promoted to senior lecturer and was promoted again in 2006 to a personal chair in Physics along with a new chair in Public Engagement in Science. Jim’s research has mainly focused on theoretical nuclear physics, where he has published widely. As well as conducting research, Jim also teaches undergraduate courses and is the departmental admissions tutor. He is active as a science communicator and has written a number of popular science books, between them translated into over twenty languages. He is a regular presenter of TV science documentaries, including the Bafta nominated Chemistry: A Volatile History, and presents the weekly Radio 4 programme, The Life Scientific. He is a recipient of the Royal Society Michael Faraday medal and the Institute of Physics Kelvin Medal. Panellists from all faculties Prof Alf Adams Distinguished Professor of Physics, FEPS, University of Surrey Distinguished Professor Alf Adams has been based at the University of Surrey since 1967, after spending two years at the University of Karlsruhe, following the completion of his PhD at the University of Leicester in 1964.
    [Show full text]
  • HUK+Adult+FW1920+Catalogue+-+
    Saving You By (author) Charlotte Nash Sep 17, 2019 | Paperback $24.99 | Three escaped pensioners. One single mother. A road trip to rescue her son. The new emotionally compelling page-turner by Australia's Charlotte Nash In their tiny pale green cottage under the trees, Mallory Cook and her five-year- old son, Harry, are a little family unit who weather the storms of life together. Money is tight after Harry's father, Duncan, abandoned them to expand his business in New York. So when Duncan fails to return Harry after a visit, Mallory boards a plane to bring her son home any way she can. During the journey, a chance encounter with three retirees on the run from their care home leads Mallory on an unlikely group road trip across the United States. 9780733636479 Zadie, Ernie and Jock each have their own reasons for making the journey and English along the way the four of them will learn the lengths they will travel to save each other - and themselves. 384 pages Saving You is the beautiful, emotionally compelling page-turner by Charlotte Nash, bestselling Australian author of The Horseman and The Paris Wedding. Subject If you love the stories of Jojo Moyes and Fiona McCallum you will devour this FICTION / Family Life / General book. 'I was enthralled... Nash's skilled storytelling will keep you turning pages until Distributor the very end.' FLEUR McDONALD Hachette Book Group Contributor Bio Charlotte Nash is the bestselling author of six novels, including four set in country Australia, and The Paris Wedding, which has been sold in eight countries and translated into multiple languages.
    [Show full text]
  • Radio Webinar: Science in the Spotlight 17 June 2021
    RADIO WEBINAR: SCIENCE IN THE SPOTLIGHT 17 JUNE 2021 SPEAKER BIOS Deborah Cohen - Head of BBC Radio Science, BBC Deborah Cohen has worked in broadcasting for over 40 years, producing programmes for the domestic networks BBC Radios 3 and 4 and the World Service, and for BBC World News TV. She has been the Editor of the Radio Science Unit since 1990 where she is currently responsible for programmes such as Science in Action, Health Check and Discovery on World Service, and Inside Health, All in the Mind, The Life Scientific and The Infinite Monkey Cage on Radio 4. In the last few years the unit has moved into producing podcasts, such as Bad People, about the psychology of serial killers and 13 minutes to the moon, 2 x 12 part series that tell the complete story of how the Americans landed on the moon. Deborah studied Physics at the University of Durham, and social studies in science at the University of Manchester. Anna Buckley - producer, BBC Anna Buckley is the producer of The Life Scientific on BBC Radio 4 and has worked with Jim Al-Khalili since the programme was launched in 2011. Offering a refreshing mix of the personal and the scientific, The Life Scientific has transformed the way science, and scientists, were talked about on BBC Radio 4 and beyond. It is one of the most appreciated programmes on BBC Radio 4, attracting over two million listeners live every week and millions more who subscribe to the podcast. Anna has worked as a producer for the BBC for 25 years.
    [Show full text]
  • Onthefrontline
    ★ Paul Flynn ★ Seán Moncrieff ★ Roe McDermott ★ 7-day TV &Radio Saturday, April 25, 2020 MES TI SH IRI MATHE GAZINE On the front line Aday inside St Vincent’s Hospital Ticket INSIDE nthe last few weeks, the peopleof rear-viewmirror, there was nothing samey Ireland could feasibly be brokeninto or oppressivelyboring or pedestrian about Inside two factions:the haves and the suburban Dublinatall. Come to think of it, have-nots.Nope, nothing to do with the whys and wherefores of the estate I Ichildren, or holiday homes, or even grew up on were absolutely bewitching.As employment.Instead, I’m talking gardens. kids, we’d duck in and out of each other’s How I’ve enviedmysocialmediafriends houses: ahuge,boisterous,fluid tribe. with their lush, landscaped gardens, or Friends would stay for dinner if there were COLUMNISTS their functionalpatio furniture, or even enough Findus Crispy Pancakes to go 4 SeánMoncrieff their small paddling pools.AnInstagram round.Sometimes –and Idon’tknow how 6 Ross photo of someone enjoying sundownersin or why we ever did this –myfriends and I O’Carroll-Kelly their own back gardenisenough to tip me would swap bedrooms for the night,sothat 17 RoeMcDermott over the edge. Honestly, Icould never have they would be sleeping in my house and Iin 20 LauraKennedy foreseen ascenario in whichI’d look at theirs. Perhaps we fancied ourselvesas someone’smodest back garden and feel characters in our own high-concept, COVERSTORY genuine envy (and, as an interesting body-swap story.Yet no one’s parents 8 chaser, guilt for worrying aboutgardens seemed to mind.
    [Show full text]
  • DN Master Doc COMMISSIONING GUIDELINES SPRING 2011
    COMMISSIONING GUIDELINES SPRING 2012 1: THE COMMISSIONING PROCESS..............................................................................2 1:1 TIMETABLE.........................................................................................................2 1:2 HOW TO SUBMIT AN IDEA TO RADIO 4...........................................................3 1:3 RESPONSES TO PROPOSALS.........................................................................5 1:4 HOW THE COMMISSIONING BRIEFS WORK...................................................7 1:5 FAQ ABOUT THE COMMISSIONING PROCESS & PROTEUS.........................9 1:6 BBC GUIDELINES & COMPLIANCE.................................................................11 1:7 CHECKLIST FOR DRAMA AND SCRIPTED COMEDY....................................12 1:8 SUPPORTING MATERIALS FOR DRAMA AND COMEDY..............................13 2: THE BBC RADIO 4 AUDIENCE.................................................................................15 3: DRAMA COMMISSIONING BRIEFS..........................................................................17 4: COMEDY & ENTERTAINMENT COMMISSIONING BRIEFS.....................................46 5: SPECIALIST FACTUAL BRIEFS...............................................................................60 6: GENERAL FACTUAL BRIEFS...................................................................................79 7: SPECIAL EVENTS AND SEASONS...........................................................................96 8: WORKING WITH BBC RADIO 4................................................................................98
    [Show full text]
  • GCSE to A-Level Transition Workbook
    GCSE to A-level Transition Workbook Wales High School Science Department Name: _________________________________ Moving from GCSE to A-level physics Introduction Welcome to the A-level physics course at Wales High School. You have chosen to study physics at a higher level, and I applaud your decision. You are about to embark on a two-year journey that few people have completed. There’s a good reason for this – physics is not an easy subject. If it was, everybody would have a degree in physics and the world would be a much better place. Over the coming months your eyes will be opened to a new way of looking at the Universe. I hope that this opportunity is not wasted and that you leave our Sixth Form asking even more questions than when you join it. A lifelong passion for physics will stand you in good stead, irrespective of the direction you travel in life. To help you begin this journey you should complete the tasks set out in this workbook. Ensure you bring this completed workbook with you to your first lesson in September. Of particular importance are the suggestions in the final pages of the workbook, entitled “Become a better physicist”. It is my expectation that you will take this advice to heart and do some, if not all, of the things I’ve suggested to help you improve the way you think about physics. I look forward to seeing you in September. Richard Bembridge – Head of A-level Physics Physics transition work 1. Dealing with symbols and SI units One of the highest jumps between GCSE and AS physics is the way things are written down.
    [Show full text]
  • Suburbs of Last Resort: Landscape, Life, and Ruin on the Edges of San Francisco Bay
    Suburbs of Last Resort: Landscape, Life, and Ruin on the Edges of San Francisco Bay by Peter Sheldon Read Ekman A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Geography in the Graduate Division of the University of California, Berkeley Committee in charge: Professor Emeritus Paul Groth, Chair Associate Professor Jake Kosek Professor Louise Mozingo Fall 2016 Abstract Suburbs of Last Resort: Landscape, Life, and Ruin on the Edges of San Francisco Bay by Peter Sheldon Read Ekman Doctor of Philosophy in Geography University of California, Berkeley Professor Emeritus Paul Groth, Chair This study surveys the historical geography of suburban landscapes built and abandoned over the course of the United States’ long twentieth century. Diverse thinkers and actors, it shows, have understood the edges of the American metropolis to be laboratories of a sort, experimental sites where the forms of a reordered city might be glimpsed in microcosm and put on display. Suburbs have also served as laboratories where questions of landscape’s animacy — not what landscape means, the focus of a generation of scholarship in cultural geography, but what landscape does — came vividly to the fore, provoking much debate and speculation. Drawing on archival sources, visual materials, maps, plans, and field study of the built environment, this work recasts debates that have long been central to cultural geography, geographic thought, urban and suburban studies, and the intellectual histories of planning and urbanism. It argues that both the modal techniques planners and builders came to prescribe for the post–World War II suburb and the most noticeable programs since predicated on redressing suburbia’s perceived failures can find their roots in prewar debates, ontological in character, on the “life” proper to landscape, indeed to matter itself.
    [Show full text]