Culture, Communities, and Change

Catalog description

Studying varied organizations such as museums, community arts groups, rock bands, and dance companies, this seminar works on three levels. Students consider the role of cultural production in local, national, and international economies and lives; think about methods for studying creative communities; and write the "biographies" of Providence cultural organizations. Issues of tourism, representation, hierarchy, urban space, and social change as well as questions about who puts culture to work and the role of cultural workers will be addressed. We will consider public humanities, engaged scholarship and community organizing as methods as we explore the Providence cultural scene. Enrollment limited to 17 first year students.