The City in History

Catalog description

This course offers an introduction to the history of cities through time and across cultures—from the emergence of proto-urban settlements in Anatolia some 9,000 years ago to the rise of contemporary megacities such as Lagos or Shenzhen. Throughout the semester, we will consider urban forms in their economic, social, political, and cultural contexts, exploring, among other themes, the notions of citizenship and urbanity, the relationship between urban form and urban life, the process of urbanization, and the search for the ideal city.