ANTH238

Cities are not only windows into the cultural, social, and economic issues of a society; they are juxtapose people of all walks of life. Using New York as a case study, this course will present an anthropological perspective on life in cities. It will also provide students the necessary tools to think critically about the meaning of "urban life" and how this meaning is mapped out onto social space. Drawing on social histories, ethnographies, social theory, short stories, and films, we will question the social and cultural categories that exist within the urban environment. Specific issues will include, but will not be limited to, the spatial component of race and ethnicity; socioeconomic class, gender, and time; the marginalization and social invisibility of certain groups of people; and aesthetics and arts. Moreover, students will be required to undertake fieldwork in the city and participate in fieldtrips during the semester to apply the theoretical concepts of the course. As a result, students will reconcile the stereotypical images of the city with the realities of millions of urban lives that live in the New York metropolitan area. The course will conclude with comparison with other urban areas to contextualize the specific case study covered in the course.