Course Description
| "The inferno of living is not something that will be; if there is one, it is what is already here, the inferno where we live every day, that we form by being together. There are two ways to escape suffering it. The first is easy for many; accept the inferno and become such a part of it that you can no longer see it. The second is risky and demands vigilance and apprehension: seek and learn to recognize who and what, in the midst of the inferno, are not inferno, then make them endure, give them space." Italo Calvino, Invisible Cities (1974). |
| This course introduces you to the "inferno" of the modern city through the multidisciplinary field of urban studies. Over the semester, we examine the historical origins of this field, take up its key debates, and explore five of its most vibrant perspectives. By critically evaluating these perspectives and juxtaposing them against one another, we evaluate the value of urban studies' multidisciplinary approach to understanding and intervening in the city. |
| Blackboard |