URB 320 - Urban Populations and Communities (4 Credits)

Prerequisite: None
Nearly half the world’s population lives in cities. This course will introduce students to the history of urbanization and the development of urban communities and enclaves. Students will examine the various economic, social, and political factors that stimulate global immigration and internal migrations, including the shift from an industrial to a service economy that marks contemporary cities such as New York. Using New York as an example, students will explore multiple meanings of community-what defines and constitutes a community; what is the impact of race, class, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality; how do communities participate in the social and political life of the city? In addressing these questions, students will examine conflicts and contradictions between the concept of assimilation and the maintenance of social and cultural identity. Students will consider the ways in which structural inequalities affect employment, the development of public policy, and the delivery of public services. They will identify the various public and non-profit institutions that advocate for working-class communities and under-served populations, including worker centers, unions, and other non-profit organizations.