Urban Ecologies and (Dis)organized Complexities
SOC-STD 98UE
Subject & Catalog Number
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Course Information
Description
What is a city? Is it just a huge aggregate of people and their interactions? How do we make sense of the various nonhuman and more-than-human entities in cities – plants, animals, sewer lines, fences, viruses, ghosts, zombies? How do they shape our interactions and our political projects?
This course examines cities as (dis)organized systems of human and nonhuman interactions and cohabitations, and the ramifications of such complexities for urban politics. Through engaging with ethnographies and ecological theories, we will explore themes such as ecological justice, infrastructure, waste, housing, segregation, critiques of urban planning and legacies of violence. We will sit on the productive site of tension between politico-economic, interpretivist and actor-network frameworks for making sense of urban complexities.
In addition to the content, students will learn how to conduct ethnography and interviews, through an observational exercise and other scaffolding assignments. We will also have discussions on questions of research ethics and positionality. For the final assignment, students will conduct primary research and write a 20-25-page paper. This is a junior tutorial.
Course Notes
This course will be lotteried and is open to non-concentrators if space permits. This course must be taken for a Letter Grade and cannot be taken Pass/Fail.
School
Faculty of Arts & Sciences
Credits
4
Cross Reg
Not Available for Cross Registration
Department
Social Studies
Course Component
Tutorial
General Education
N/A
Quantitative Reasoning with Data
N/A
Divisional Distribution
Social Sciences
Course Level
Primarily for Undergraduate Students
