Rosalyn
Negrón
Goldbarg
Office:
McCormack
4
–
425
Office
Hours:
MWF
12
–
1
Office
Phone:
617‐287‐6812
Email:
rosalyn.negron@umb.edu
Fall 2010
ANTH 252: Urban
Anthropology
PURPOSE
OF
COURSE
Urban
anthropology
is
broadly
concerned
with
life
in
cities.
Bearing
in
mind
the
breadth
of
the
field,
three
goals
for
this
course
are
to:
1)
understand
the
historical
development
of
cities
and
urbanism,
as
well
as
current
and
future
trajectories;
2)
analyze
the
social,
economic,
and
political
dynamics
of
contemporary
city
life;
and
3)
study
research
methods
and
theoretical
approaches
used
by
urban
anthropologists.
Our
analysis
will
include
examples
from
global
cities
and
America’s
major
urban
areas.
In
addition
to
our
readings
of
key
theoretical
and
ethnographic
works
on
the
city,
we
will
draw
on
multiple
media
to
explore
both
the
beauty
and
travails
of
urban
life.
As
a
result
of
this
course
you
will
develop
an
explicit
awareness
of
the
impact
of
urbanism
on
human
social
relations
&
organization,
subsistence,
health,
and
cultural
expression.
COURSE
REQUIREMENTS
1.
2.
3.
4.
Class
attendance
&
participation
–
10pts
Mini‐ethnography
–
25pts
Course
portfolio
–
40pts
Course
portfolio
analysis
&
reflection
–
25pts
Total:
100pts
COURSE
PORTFOLIO
The
course
portfolio
is
intended
to
give
students
greater
control
over
how
their
performance
in
this
class
will
be
evaluated.
Each
student
has
specific
academic
strengths
and
weakness.
The
portfolio
should
provide
opportunities
for
students
to
build
on
strengths
and
interests,
while
working
on
areas
needing
improvement.
You
are
to
choose
à
la
carte
the
course
assignments
that
you
feel
will
highlight
your
strengths,
individual
talents,
and
learning
styles.
Some
of
the
assignments
are
traditional
and
familiar;
others
challenge
students
to
think
creatively
about
the
course
content.
There
are
ten
options
in
all,
and
you
must
select
four
assignments.
Each
of
the
assignments
are
worth
10
pts.
Please
note
that
two
of
the
four
assignments
you
select
must
be
different.
Portfolio
Items
Reading
response
Presentation
Short
video
Photographic
assignment
Policy
analysis
/
recommendation
News
analysis
Creative
writing
Application
Essay
Art
project
Other
GRADING
A = 95 – 100
B+ = 86 – 89
B- = 80 – 82
C = 73 – 75
D+ = 66 – 69
D- = 60 – 62
A- = 90 - 94
B = 83 – 85
C+ - 76 – 79
C- = 70 – 72
D = 63 – 65
F = 0 – 59
COURSE
MATERIALS
–
Books
are
available
at
the
UMB
Bookstore
&
Library
Reserves.
1)
Urban
Life:
Readings
in
the
Anthropology
of
the
City,
5th
Edition,
George
Gmelch,
Robert
V.
Kemper
and
Walter
P.
Zenner
(editors)
(GKZ)
2)
Streets
of
Hope:
The
Fall
and
Rise
of
an
Urban
Neighborhood,
by
Peter
Medoff
and
Holly
Sklar
3)
Laughter
Out
of
Place:
Race,
class,
violence,
and
sexuality
in
a
Rio
shantytown,
by
Donna
M.
Goldstein
(**available
as
an
E‐Book
through
Healey
Library**)
4)
Additional
class
readings
will
be
available
on
Blackboard
Vista,
indicated
by
BV.
DISABILITY
SERVICES
If
you
have
a
disability
and
feel
you
will
need
accommodations
in
order
to
complete
course
requirements,
please
let
me
know,
and
also
contact
the
Ross
Center
for
Disability
Services
(Campus
Center,
2100)
at
ext.
7‐7430.
ACADEMIC
HONESTY
Academic
honesty
is
expected.
Failure
to
make
a
good
faith
effort
to
properly
cite
other
authors’
work,
whether
a
direct
quote
or
in
paraphrasing,
will
result
in
a
failing
grade
and
a
referral
to
the
University’s
Dean
of
Students.
The
Healey
Library
has
an
excellent
tutorial
on
plagiarism:
www.lib.umb.edu/webtutorial/module6/Module6‐1.html.
Another
great
resource
on
plagiarism
is
found
here:
http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/plagiarism.shtml.
CLASS
SCHEDULE
Week
1
Introduction:
Cities
&
city
life
September
8
(W)
Overview
of
course
September
10
(F)
Lecture
Week
2
What
is
urban
anthropology?
September
13
(M)
Lecture
September
15
(W)
BV:
“The
world
goes
to
town”,
The
Economist,
May
5,
2007.
GKZ:
Ch.
7
‐
“Urbanism
as
a
way
of
life”,
Louis
Wirth
September
17
(F)
City
in
Focus:
Addis
Ababa
Week
3
Cities
in
historical
perspective
September
20
(M)
Lecture
September
22
(W)
BV:
“The
Earliest
Cities”,
Michael
E.
Smith
BV:
“The
Pyramid
Builders”
in
National
Geographic
September
24
(F)
City
in
Focus:
Jerusalem
**Due:
1st
Portfolio
Assignment**
Week
4
Doing
research
in
cities
September
27
(M)
Lecture
September
29
(W)
GKZ:
“Anthropological
Fieldwork
in
Cities”,
G.M.
Foster
&
R.V.
Kemper
BV:
“Introduction”
&
“Violating
Apartheid
in
the
United
States”,
Philippe
Bourgois
October
1
(F)
City
in
Focus:
New
York
City
(Mini‐ethnography
assignment
given)
Week
5
Urban
danger
/
urban
fear
October
4
(M)
Lecture
October
6
(W)
GKZ:
“The
Culture
of
Poverty”,
Oscar
Lewis
Streets
of
Hope:
Pgs.
1
–
35.
October
8
(F)
City
in
Focus:
Boston
Week
6
Urban
danger
/
urban
fear
October
11
(M)
No
class
‐
Columbus
Day
October
13
(W)
Laughter
Chs
2
–
5
October
15
(F)
City
in
Focus:
Rio
de
Janeiro
**Due:
2nd
Portfolio
Assignment**
Week
7
Urban
life
/
urban
hope
–
Culture
in
the
city
October
18
(M)
Lecture
October
20
(W)
BV:
“Looking
for
the
Real
‘Nigga’:
Social
Scientists
Construct
the
Ghetto”,
D.
G.
Kelley
BV:
“’Soy
Punkera,
Y
Que?’:
Sexuality,
Translocality,
and
Punk
in
Los
Angeles
and
Beyond”,
Michelle
Habell‐Pallán
October
22
(F)
City
in
Focus:
Buenos
Aires
Week
8
Urban
life
/
urban
hope
–
Family
&
networks
October
25
(M)
Lecture
October
27
(W)
BV:
Excerpts
from
All
Our
Kin:
Strategies
for
Survival
in
a
Black
Community
(Pgs.
22
–
61),
Carol
Stack
Streets
of
Hope:
Ch
2
&
Ch
8
October
29
(F)
City
in
Focus:
Beijing
**Due:
Mini‐ethnography**
Week
9
Urban
life
/
urban
hope
–
Community
development
&
civics
November
1
(M)
Lecture
November
3
(W)
Streets
of
Hope:
Ch
3
&
Ch
7
BV:
“E
Pluribus
Unum:
Diversity
and
Community
in
the
Twenty‐first
Century”
by
Robert
Putnam
November
5
(F)
City
in
Focus:
Baghdad
Week
10
The
global
city
November
8
(M)
Lecture
November
10
(W)
GKZ:
"Transnationalism,
Old
and
New:
New
York
Immigrants"
by
Nancy
Foner
BV:
"Japanese
Hip‐Hop
and
Globalization
of
Popular
Culture",
by
Ian
Condry
November
12
(F)
City
in
Focus:
Tokyo
**Due:
3rd
Portfolio
Assignment**
Week
11
Urban
life
/
urban
hope
–
Migration
&
diversity
November
15
(M)
Lecture
November
17
(W)
GKZ:
“Cityward
Migration
in
Comparative
Perspective”,
C.B.
Brettell
and
R.V.
Kemper
GKZ:
“The
Extended
Community:
Migration
and
Transformation
in
Tzintzuntan,
Mexico”,
R.V.
Kemper
November
19
(F)
City
in
Focus:
Nairobi
Week
12
Health
and
the
city
November
22
(M)
Lecture
November
24
(W)
BV:
“Human
Health
and
the
City”,
Lawrence
M.
Schell
BV:
“Urban
Poverty:
An
Urgent
Public
Health
Issue”,
Susan
Mercado,
et
al.
November
25
to
28
Thanksgiving
Recess
Week
13
Cities
&
the
environment
November
29
(M)
Lecture
December
1
(W)
BV:
“Country,
the
City
Version:
Farms
in
the
Sky
Gain
New
Interest”,
NY
Times
article.
BV:
“Green
Cities,
Brown
Suburbs”,
E.L.
Glaeser
December
3
(F)
City
in
Focus:
Copenhagen
**Due:
4th
Portfolio
Assignment**
Week
14
Future
cities
December
6
(M)
Lecture
December
8
(W)
GKZ:
“Beyond
Urban
and
Rural
Communities
in
the
21st
Century”,
W.
Zenner
BV:
“Here
Comes
the
Neighborhood”,
C.B.
Leinberger
December
10
(F)
City
in
Focus:
Dubai
Week
15
Final
thoughts
&
feedback
December
13
(M)
No
readings
December
20
(M)
Final
Portfolio
Due