Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Summer 2017 - HUM 340 D200

Great Cities in Their Time (4)

Brooklyn

Class Number: 4742

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    May 8 – Aug 4, 2017: Mon, 1:30–5:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Exam Times + Location:

    Aug 10, 2017
    Thu, 12:00–3:00 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Prerequisites:

    45 units.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

An exploration of the cultural and intellectual accomplishments of a specific city that achieved prominence in a particular time period, and had substantial impact and influence on human civilization. Examines the political, social, religious, and cultural factors that help to explain a city's significance and investigates the achievements of its citizens. This course may be repeated for credit. Breadth-Humanities.

COURSE DETAILS:

Brooklyn  
David Sipress's New Yorker cartoon (caption: "Brooklyn is the Manhattan of the other boroughs") reflects an historic change in Brooklyn's cultural profile. The canonical view across the East River has always gazed longingly at the Manhattan skyline from the Brooklyn side. Sipress's cartoon looks the other way, not with disdain towards a feculent industrial slum (Brooklyn's reputation for most of the twentieth century) but with a collegial nod that understates a surprising reality: Brooklyn is now a cooler place to hang out in than Manhattan, and it competes with or even overshadows its island neighbour as a centre of international culture.  
We are going to trace Brooklyn's history from the earliest contacts between First Nations and Dutch settlers to its present position as possibly the most ethnically diverse population centre on the planet. Students will be prompted to think about the factors which influence, and the media which reify, a city's "personality," as pertinent works of literature, cinematic art, and architecture are related to the defining themes in Brooklyn's social, political, and economic history. The borough's postwar history of struggle between promoters and opponents of gentrification, and between centralized urban planners and champions of "neighbourhood power," will provide students with an opportunity to explore the ideas of Jane Jacobs, the most significant urban theorist of modern times.

Grading

  • Attendance, participation, reading quizzes, and in-class writing 25%
  • Short paper I (4-5 pp.) 15%
  • Short papers II (4-5 pp.) 15%
  • Research paper (6-8 pp.) 20%
  • Final Exam 25%

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

Paula Fox, Desperate Characters (Norton 2015) 978-0393351101  
Jane Jacobs, The Death and Life of Great American Cities (Vintage 1992) 978-0679741954  
Suleiman Osman, The Invention of Brownstone Brooklyn: Gentrification and the Search for Authenticity in Postwar New York (OUP 2012) 978-0199930340  
Hubert Selby, Jr., Last Exit to Brooklyn (Grove [1994]) 978-0802131379  
Colm Tóibín, Brooklyn (Emblem 2010) 978-0771085390  
Further readings will be made available online or put on reserve in the Bennett Library.

Registrar Notes:

SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://students.sfu.ca/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating.  Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the University community.  Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the University. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the University. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS