The calendar below lists discussion topics covered in class based on required readings.
| SES # | TOPICS |
|---|---|
| 1 | General readings - more theoretical in nature -- on the "promise" of the city and the importance of thinking about cities as hosts for difference, diversity, and equality. |
| 2 | Readings that explore legal and jurisdictional dynamics of cities, the nexus between cities and nations, and the relations between or ethnic, racial, religious, or class identities, cities, and/or nations. |
| 3 | Guest Lecture: "Reimagining Governance: Policy and Politics in Post-Apartheid in Johannesburg" Professor Robert Beauregard, Milano School of Urban Policy and Management, New School for Social Research. |
| 4 | Studies of local, national, and international dynamics that create intolerance, polarization, oppression, or conflict in cities. |
| 5 | Claims and case studies of activities theorized as creating tolerance, harmony, or cosmopolitanism in cities. |
| 6 | Guest Lecture: "Civility in the City: Blacks, Jews, and Koreans in Urban America." Professor Jennifer Lee, University of California-Irvine. |
| 7 | Case study readings of cities that have moved (or tried to) from peace to conflict, or vice-versa. |
| 8 | Guest Lecture: "The End of Tolerance: Engaging Cultural Differences" Professor Richard Schweder, University of Chicago. |
| 9 | Readings that see cities as transcending national boundaries or that explore alternative territorial dynamics in which to situate the urban experience and/or establish cosmopolitanism. |