Icon effects

Essay Proposal. August Icons in Four British Cities. Sub How they are used and the impact they have on each Aims To identify four major cities in the UK which make use of icons.
2. To explore what icons are present, what meanings they have, and how they are used.
3. To determine what impact the icons have on each city.
Method: Library research on icons and British cities.
Fieldwork to take pictures of iconic locations and objects.
Fieldwork to visit the four chosen cities and gather examples of icons.
Case study of four cities and their icons.
Brief Essay Outline:
Introduction: Icons in the past and in the modern world. [500 words]
Literature review: Meaning and use of icons in Tourism. [1000 words]
Case Study A. London. [750 words]
Case Study B. Edinburgh. [750 words]
Case Study C. Cardiff. [750 words]
Case Study D. Liverpool. [750 words]
Comparison and Discussion of results. [1000 words]
Conclusions. [500 words]
References.
Appendix 1. Evidence of Objects and Locations.
Appendix 2. Evidence of icons for sale in shops.
Notes on approach to essay.
The first step is to go to the library and research icons. This involves finding a good definition of what an icon is, and describing how icons have been used in different cultures throughout human history. This can be written up to form the introduction, concluding with what icons mean today and what they are used for in the modern world.
After this, a review of the literature on icons in modern culture will be done, with an emphasis on the UK and tourism. The issue of regional/national/ethnic identities needs to be covered and, possibly, also some political issues about how a city wants to present itself to the world. Is it just a matter of gaining money from tourism, or is there more to it than that? Idea of the cultural capital in the sense of a store of valuable ideas that means something to locals and to visitors. Who buys iconic objects and why? Key concepts: souvenirs, history, memory and pride.
Four cities to be chosen (initial thoughts are London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Liverpool). Think about criteria for selection, and amend choice if necessary. Plan a journey to each of the four cities, in such a way as to minimise costs. Devise a small budget to pay for travel and buy icons from 4 tourist shops in each city. Idea: ask shopkeeper what item under £5. 00 people buy most, note down the answer. Repeat in 4 shops in each city (budget maximum £80 for icons, possibly less if the item is the same in two chosen shops, since there no need to buy twice). Take digital photographs of city’s main iconic objects or locations. Gather tourist brochures on each city for case study analysis.
On return from field trips, prepare a case study of each city, describing the icons and discussing how each city uses them. When all four case studies are complete, compare and discuss them drawing out similarities and differences. In the conclusion, write up what the impact of the icons has been for each city.