This course will introduce you to the field of Urban Studies. We will investigate why cities are places of economic and political opportunity for some and places of deprivation, discrimination, violence and impoverishment for others. We will explore how urban restructuring since the 1970s has increased the income gap in major metropolitan areas such as New York. We will also discuss different theories of urban poverty and inequality and examine the impact of immigration, racial segregation, suburbanization, public policies, and social movements on U.S. cities and their inhabitants. Paying particular attention to inequalities based on race, class, gender, and sexuality, we will analyze proposals to reduce these inequalities.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

1. Learn the history of US urban restructuring from the latter half of the 20th century to the present.
2. Gain familiarity with contemporary approaches to the study of poverty and inequality from a variety of social scientific perspectives and disciplines.
3. Gain familiarity with basic urban research methods such as fieldwork, survey research, statistical research, and historical analysis.
4. Understand the difference between different disciplinary approaches to the study of urban areas.
5. Learn to read and critically analyze urban policy proposals.