UPP 205 Cinema & the City
Spring 2013
Department of Urban Planning & Policy
University of Illinois at Chicago
T-Th 3:30–4:45pm
Burnham Hall 317
CRN 27927
Instructor:
TA:
Office:
Office hours:
E-mail:
Glenda Garelli
Ivis Garcia Zambrana
CUPPA Hall
Tuesday 1:30-3:15pm
ggarel2@uic.edu (Glenda)
igarci8@uic.edu (Ivis)
Course Overview
The course looks at the city as a site of contested dynamics of social belonging over “race,” ethnicity, nationality,
and religion. What French urban theorist Henri Lefebvre called the “right to the city” will guide our analysis of the
dynamics that shape the partition of city dwellers into insiders and outsiders, people who belong and people who
do not.
Combining scholarly and cinematic production, the class will provide students with critical tools for understanding
urban conflicts, their visual representations, and how these processes are mutually constitutive. The course will
focus on 12 movies spanning a variety of locations to allow students to develop an understanding of urban
conflicts and experiences in different urban geographies (New York City; Mexico City; London; Algiers; Rio de
Janeiro; Paris; Beirut). This peripatetic competence about the global urban condition will be matched by an
interdisciplinary approach, bringing together readings from urban studies, geography, anthropology and
postcolonial-, film- and cultural-studies.
The course is divided in three thematic units that together encompass a variety of perspectives on the
contemporary urban experience:
● Urban Others: The Production of Cosmopolitan Dystopias (weeks 1-5)
● Divided City: Spatial Segregation and Borderlines (weeks 6-10)
● Urban Anomie: New Possibilities for Urban Sociability? (week 11-15);
Course Requirements & Grading
Grading requirements.
The final grade for the course is broken down as follows:
● Attendance & Participation (10%). Students must complete required readings and other preparatory
assignments and come to class ready to engage in discussion and debate.
● Viewing responses (30%). A one-page viewing response on the film of the week is due PRINTED OUT IN
CLASS on Tuesday following the screening. Students will be responsible for submitting a viewing
response for the first 8 weeks.
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UPP 205 Cinema & the City
Spring 2013
Department of Urban Planning & Policy
University of Illinois at Chicago
● Class presentations (10%). One group presentation is required during the semester. The presentation
will engage with the week’s readings and pose questions for discussion.
● Framing exercise – Urban Landscapes of Chicago (20%). The student will document an aspect of urban
life in Chicago through a visual and textual narrative: one title, 3-5 pictures, captions (no longer than a
paragraph each) for each picture, a one page statement of the urban imaginary the project is crafting
(the filmography watched and analyzed in class should serve as a reference). The deadline is April 2nd
(blog post).
● Final research paper (30%). A 10-page paper on a topic chosen by the student will be due PRINTED
OUT DOUBLE-SIDED IN CLASS on April 30th. The paper should include at least one movie that was not
part of the course and a targeted list of references (to be discussed with the instructor). Additional
guidelines will be distributed during the semester.
A detailed calendar outlining the timing of these different assignments can be found at the end of the syllabus.
NOTE: All written assignments must be typed double spaced, 12 point font, printed out, and due in class. No
electronic submissions will be accepted. All reference material must be properly cited; all students are expected to
be aware of and abide by UIC’s Guidelines for Academic Integrity. In the spirit of professionalism, I do not accept
late assignments.
Other Information.
● There will be optional viewings of all movies after the discussion section on Thursday. Viewings will begin
at 4:45pm and will take place in CUPPAH 2236. Attending the screening is not mandatory, as long as you
can access the film on your own (see below).
● The majority of the movies screened will be in the two main languages spoken in the United States,
English and Spanish. All films in languages other than English will have subtitles. Watching a movie while
reading subtitles requires training but provides access to an incredibly rich market of movies. This course
exposes students to this training and encourages them to further develop this skill for their future
academic career and personal life.
● Honors students - The Honors College acknowledges this course as part of its curriculum. Honors
students will be required to complete an honor supplement. The student will be able to choose among
the following supplement options: three additional 15 minute presentations of the movies of the week; a
more complex and articulated list of references to address their paper's topic; a more elaborated visual
exercise on the city of Chicago.
● If you need accommodations for a disability, please contact the Disability Resource Center: Voice: (312)
413-2183; Video Phone: (312) 957-4822; Email: drc@uic.edu
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Department of Urban Planning & Policy
University of Illinois at Chicago
UPP 205 Cinema & the City
Spring 2013
Course Structure
Day
Time
Location
What
Tuesday
3:30 – 4:45pm
BH 317
Lecture
Thursday
3:30 – 4:45pm
BH 317
Student presentations and discussion
Thursday
4:45pm -
CUPPAH 2236
Film screening
Course Readings
Students are expected to complete all readings prior to Tuesday’s class. All of the required readings will be
available through Blackboard.
All of the movies are available through Course Reserve at the Daley Library should you wish to view them on your
own. They are available for in-room use only; you will need to ask for one of the media rooms in order to be able
to view the film.
Course Outline
–
1
Urban Others: The Production of Cosmopolitan Dystopias –
Introduction
January 15 – Overview of the Course
January 17 – Discussion Session Orientation
Assigned Readings
●
Wenders, Wim. 2001. On Film: Essays and Conversations. London, Boston: Faber and Faber. Part III,
“The urban landscape from the point of view of images,” pp.375-383.
●
Rowe, Allan, and Paul Wells. 2003. Introduction: Understanding ‘cinema’ and ‘storytelling’. In An
Introduction to Film Studies, J. Nelmes (ed.), pp.55-59. New York, NY: Routledge.
 Viewing of “Do the Right Thing” – Thursday, January 17th, 4:45pm
2
Do the Right Thing (Spike Lee, 1989)
January 22 – Lecture on racial conflict in the American metropolis and Do the Right Thing
January 24 – Students’ presentation & discussion
Assigned Readings
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UPP 205 Cinema & the City
Spring 2013
●
AlSayyad, Nezar. 2006. Cinematic Urbanism: A History of Modern from Reel to Real. New York, NY:
Routledge.
○
●
Department of Urban Planning & Policy
University of Illinois at Chicago
Chapter 8, “Brooklyn of Do the Right Thing,” pp. 189-196.
Abu-Lughod, Janet. 2007. Race, Space and Riots in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles. New York, NY:
Oxford University Press.
○
Chapter 5, “The Harlem-Bedford-Stuyvesant uprising of 1964,” pp.159-196.
 Written viewing response on ”Do the Right thing” due in class on Tuesday, January 22nd
 Viewing of “My Beautiful Laundrette” – Thursday, January 24th, 4:45pm
3
My Beautiful Launderette (Stephen Frears, 1985)
January 29 – Lecture on ethnic urban conflicts, post-colonial legacy in European urban contexts,
squatting in the UK and My Beautiful Launderette
January 31 – Students’ presentation & discussion
Assigned Readings
●
AlSayyad, Nezar. 2006. Cinematic Urbanism: A History of Modern from Reel to Real. New York, NY:
Routledge.
○
●
Chapter 8, “The London of My Beautiful Launderette” and “Race Urban Space and the
Displacement Community,” pp. 189-207.
BBC Article, “Pakistani London,” May 5, 2006.
 Written viewing response on “My Beautiful Laundrette” due in class – Tuesday, January 29th
Viewing of “City of God” – Thursday, Janauary 31st, 4:45pm
4
La Haine (Mathieu Kassovitz, 1995)
February 5 – Lecture on segregation in French peripheries, housing projects, post-colonial legacy
in the city and Hate
February 7 – Students’ presentation & discussion
Assigned Readings
●
Fielder, Adrian. 2001. Poaching on public space: Urban autonomous zones in French banlieue films. In M
Shiel and T Fitzmaurice, eds, Cinema and the City. Film and Urban Societies in a Global Context , pp. 270281. New York, NY: Blackwell.
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Department of Urban Planning & Policy
University of Illinois at Chicago
UPP 205 Cinema & the City
Spring 2013
●
Wacquant, Loic. 2006. Interview. Enough Room for Space.
(www.enoughroomforspace.org/project_pages/view/197)
 Written viewing response on “La Haine” due in class – Tuesday, February 5th
 Viewing of “City of God” – Thursday, February 7th, 4:45pm (location TBD)
5
City of God (Fernando Meirelles, 2002)
February 12 – Lecture on urban informality and the cinematic production of the
Urban South in City of God
February 14 – Students’ presentation & discussion
Assigned Readings
●
●
Mennel, Barbara. 2009. Cities and Cinema. New York: Routledge
○ Chapter 7, “Ghettos and Barrios,” pp. 153-176.
Caldeira, Teresa. 2008. Worlds set apart. Urban Age (December).
 Written viewing response on “City of God” due in class – Tuesday, February 12th
 Viewing of “La Ciudad” – Thursday, February 14th, 4:45pm (location TBD)
–
6
Divided City: Segregation/Borders –
La Ciudad (David Riker, 1999)
February 19– Lecture on La Cuidad, urban internal borders, immigration and the re-making of a
city
February 21 – Students’ presentation & discussion
Assigned Readings
●
Sassen, Saskia. 2006. Cities in a World Economy, 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press.
○ Chapter 1, “Place and Production in the Global Economy,” pp. 151-175.
●
Sklar, Robert. 1999. Rediscovering radical film style: An interview with David Riker. Cineaste 24 (2-3).
 Written viewing responses due in class – Tuesday, February 19th
 Viewing of “West Beyrouth” – Thursday, February 21st, 4:45pm (location TBD)
7
West Beirut (Ziad Doueiri, 1998)
February 26 – Lecture on divided cities and West Beyrouth + Framing Exercise Workshop
Page 5
UPP 205 Cinema & the City
Spring 2013
Department of Urban Planning & Policy
University of Illinois at Chicago
February 28 – Students’ presentation & discussion
Assigned Readings
●
Interview with Ziad Doueiri.
●
Mennel, Barbara. 2009. Cities and Cinema. New York: Routledge
○
Chapter 6, “The city in ruins and the divided city: Berlin, Belfast, and Beirut”
 Written viewing response on “West Beirut” due in class – Tuesday, Feb 26th
 Viewing of “La Zona” – Thursday, February 28th, 4:45pm (location TBD)
8
La Zona (Rodrigo Pla', 2007)
March 5 – Lecture on gated communities, security and the privatization of space and La Zona
March 7 – Students’ presentation & discussion
Assigned Readings
●
Giglia, Angela. 2008. Gated communities in Mexico City. Home Cultures 5 (1): 65-84.
●
Caldeira, Tereisa. 1999. Fortified enclaves. In S.M. Lowe (ed), Theorizing the City: The New Urban
Anthropology Reader, pp. 83-110. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.
 Written viewing response on “La Zona” due in class – Tuesday, March 5th
 Viewing of “The Battle of Algiers” – Thursday, March 7th, 4:45pm (location TBD)
9
The Battle of Algiers (Gillo Pontecorvo, 1966)
March 12 – Lecture on Battle of Algiers and colonial legacy
March 14 – Students’ presentation & discussion
Assigned Readings
●
Kipfer, Stefan. 2007. Fanon and space: colonization, urbanization, and liberation from the colonial to the
global city. Environment and Planning D: Society and Space 25 (4): 701-726.
●
Djiar, Kahina Amal. 2009. Symbolism and memory in architecture: Algerian anti-colonial resistance and
the Algiers Casbah. Journal of North African Studies 14 (2): 185-202.
 Written viewing response on “The Battle of Algiers” due in class – Tuesday, March 12th
 Viewing of “In This World” – Thursday, March 14th, 4:45pm (location TBD)
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UPP 205 Cinema & the City
Spring 2013
Department of Urban Planning & Policy
University of Illinois at Chicago
10 In this World
March 19 – Lecture on insurgency, ungovernability and the quest for colonial control
March 21 – Students’ presentation & discussion
Assigned Readings

Agier, Michel. 2002. Between War and City. Towards an Urban Anthropology of Refugee
Camps.Ethnography, Vol. 3, No. 3, 317-341.

Hailey, Charlie. 2009. Camps: A Guide to 21st Century Space, pp. 242-262, 324-331, 410-415.
 Paper Proposal (700 words) due in class, March 19th
 Viewing of “The Battle of Algiers” – Thursday, March 21st, 4:45pm (location TBD)
11 Spring Break (March 25-29)
– Urban Anomie: New Possibilities for Urban Sociability? –
12 What Time Is It There? (Tsai Ming-Liang, 2001)
April 2 – Lecture on loneliness, longing, and the time-spaces of globalization
April 4 – Students’ presentation & discussion
Assigned Readings
●
Wirth, Louis. 2009 (1938). Urbanism as a way of life. In The City Reader, R. LeGates and F. Stout, eds,
pp.90-97. New York, NY: Routledge.
●
Cardullo, Bert. 2002. The space of time and the sound of silence. Hudson Review 55 (3): 473-480.
 Framing Exercise due (blog post) – Tuesday, April 1st by midnight
 Comments on 3 Framing Exercises due on April 4th, on the Framing Exercise’s blog
13 Final Paper Workshop
April 9 – Lecture on the research paper
April 11 – Workshop on students’ Proposal
 Viewing of “The Gleaners and I” – Thursday, April 11, 4:45pm (location TBD)
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UPP 205 Cinema & the City
Spring 2013
Department of Urban Planning & Policy
University of Illinois at Chicago
14 The Gleaners and I
April 16 – Lecture on The Gleaners and I
April 18 – Students’ presentations and discussion
Assigned Readings
●
Wagstaff, Peter. (2005). Agnes Varda’s Mobile Space in The Gleaners and I. In Wendy Ellen Everett, Axel
Goodbody (Eds) Revisiting Space, Peter Lang AG, pp.273-90.
●
Scott, A.O. (2009). Living for Cinema Through It. June 28, The New York Times.
 Viewing of “Zazie rides the metro” – Thrusday, April 18, 4:45pm (location TBD)
15 Zazie rides the Metro
April 23 – Closing Lecture
April 25 – Closing Discussion Session
16 Student Presentations
April 30 – Presentations 1
May 2 – Presentations 2
 Final paper due on May 2nd
Page 8
UPP 205 Cinema & the City
Spring 2013
Department of Urban Planning & Policy
University of Illinois at Chicago
Assignment Calendar
Type
Assignment
Due Date
Written viewing
responses
○
Do the Right Thing
1/22
○
My Beautiful Launderette
1/29
○
La Haine
2/5
○
City of God
2/12
○
La Ciudad
2/19
○
West Beirut
2/26
Weekly
Presentations
○
Presentation on the week’s film and questions for
discussion.
TBD
Framing Exercise
○
Topic Statement due
2/19
○
Framing exercise due
04/1 (blog post due by
midnight)
○
Engagement
04/9 (posts comments
on blog)
○
Topic statement
3/19
○
Final paper due
5/2
Final Research
paper
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