This course explores the interplay between the social, natural, and symbolic aspects of the places in which people inhabit. Students are guided to design and conduct an independent research project, focusing on questions relevant to our specific locale, the greater Binghamton area. The projects will be conducted using methods fundamental to social science research, with opportunity to use archival materials from the University’s Special Collections. Projects are intended for dissemination on public-facing platforms. This course is the second part of a two-semester sequence in the Source Project, a first-year research immersion program.