WEEK 7.1 CHOOSING AN APPLIED ESSAY TOPIC – SOME
GUIDANCE

Initial steps
Locate an area where the notion of “the public” is an important
organising concept. This might be explicit, for example the public
sector, public interest, public health, or public art. It might also be
implicit, for example the environment, regeneration partnerships, or
political morals.
How is the term “the public” used?

NB: this investigation is sociological, as well as conceptual, so the
following dimensions of use are important to consider –
Differences over time – has usage changed over time?
Differences across people – who uses it and how?
So, for example, the same group of people may use the term
differently over time, or different groups may use it differently. Note
that these usages might not always be explicit – they may have to be
inferred.

Relate use of “the public” to framework & theories of ‘the
public’ we’ve looked at:

1. Is it part of a dichotomy? Or is there more than one category? Or is it
a continuum?

2. Criteria: What determines what is public, and what is private? Is this
a clear criterion?Explain

3. Dimensions
i. Interest – end of action
ii. Agency – scope of action
iii. Access – object of action