New York, Chicago, Los Angeles. Social studies approach

elective courses

This course introduces 2nd and 3rd year BA students to the important social processes (racial conflict, immigration, capitalism, political corruption, origins and glamour of the upper classes) in NYC, Chicago and Los Angeles through readings in social studies, documentaries and famous movies. It makes students aware of the difference between academic literature on urban communities and fiction, and it guides them through reading and interpreting both for the best understanding of the urban social realities. It teaches students also how to use archival newspapers, statistical atlas, official statistics (US Census), non-governmental

organizations’ websites and google maps in urban social research.

1. Introduction and overview. Screening of The Fourth Partition documentary

2. Chicago. The Fourth Partition documentary

3. Chicago. History and the Present. Academic literature

4. Chicago. Movie: The Untouchables or South Side with You 5. New York. The City and the World documentary

6. New York. History and the Present. Academic literature

7. New York. Movie: In the Heights or Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

8. mid-term evaluation and final essay preparation

9. Los Angeles. LA Plays Itself documentary

10. Los Angles. History and the Present. Academic literature 11. Los Angeles. Movie: Mid 90s or Emily the Criminal

12. New York vs Los Angeles

13. Comparison

14. Comparison

Academic literature:

Robert G. Spinney. (2020). City of Big Shoulders : A History of Chicago: Vol. Second edition. Northern Illinois University Press

Sudhir Alladi Venkatesh. (2000). American Project : The Rise and Fall of a Modern Ghetto. Harvard University Press.

Richard E. Ocejo. (2017). Masters of Craft : Old Jobs in the New Urban Economy. Princeton University Press

Kim, Jinwon. “Manhattan’s Koreatown as a Transclave: The Emergence of a New Ethnic Enclave in a Global City.” City & Community 17, no. 1 (March 2018): 276–95.

Robert Sampson, keynote address, 50th anniversary of the Kerner Commission Report https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4y7HQ4J9EQ

Zhou, M. ( 1 ), & DiRago, N. V. ( 1,2 ). (2023). The trajectory of the colour line in a US immigrant gateway: hyperdiverse spatialization in Los Angeles. Ethnic and Racial Studies. Edward W. Soja. (2014). My Los Angeles : From Urban Restructuring to Regional Urbanization. University of California Press

1. KNOWLEDGE: Basic knowledge about Chicago, NYC and LA's social history and the presence.

2. SKILLS: Understanding the academic literature on US cities. Analyzing documentaries and movies from the point of view of their social and political message. Preparing a reaction paper. Writing a short academic essay.

3. SOCIAL COMPETENCES: discussing academic topics in polite and competent manner

1. Participation and well informed in-class discussion (30%)

2. Two short (about 1 page) reaction papers to the assigned readings, documentaries or movies (30%, 15% each)

3. Final essay: 2000-3000 words, topic and research discussed with an instructor, based on additional readings (40%)