Doing (Sub)Urban History

Catalog description

This course explores the attempts by scholars to understand the political, economic, and social development of cities, suburbs, and metropolitan regions from the nineteenth century onward. How have historians examined the evolution of metropolitan spatial forms over time? How have they approached the analytical challenge of handling the diversity in popular experiences and aspirations of urbanites? What of the relationship between industrialization and class formation, state building and culture, surveillance and resistance, banking and racism? Readings consist of some primary sources, classic works, and recent interpretations in the field of (sub)urban history. Although we will largely focus on urban processes within the United States, we will also draw on select examples from urban centers from around the globe. This course forms part of the "Doing History" series: rigorous undergraduate colloquia that introduce the practice of history within a particular field or thematic area.