Summer 2025 - HUM 340 B100
Great Cities in Their Time (4)
Class Number: 3291
Delivery Method: Blended
Overview
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Course Times + Location:
May 12 – Aug 8, 2025: Tue, 11:30 a.m.–2:20 p.m.
Burnaby -
Exam Times + Location:
Aug 19, 2025
Tue, 12:00–3:00 p.m.
Burnaby
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Instructor:
Niall Mackenzie
nma45@sfu.ca
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Prerequisites:
45 units.
Description
CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:
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. May be repeated for credit when a different topic is taught. Breadth-Humanities.
COURSE DETAILS:
London
“Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.” When Samuel Johnson uttered this remark in the late eighteenth century, the British capital was already Europe’s chief financial centre and most populous city, its cultural and racial diversity mirroring that of Britain’s rapidly expanding global empire. Rowdy and raucous, absorbing more than 10,000 migrants annually and churning out a staggering profusion of printed books and periodicals, Johnson’s London led the world in consumerism, in artistic and technological innovation, in radical political thought, and in the advancement of scientific knowledge. “No other city on the planet,” writes one of its historians, “did more to catalyze modernity.”
Theories about the relationship between social modernity and urban space will inform much of our work in HUM 340, as we trace London’s history from Roman times to the present day, focusing on the early modern centuries that transformed a pestilential, mud-spattered medieval port into a global entrepot, an imperial metropolis, and a vast melting pot of humanity.
By collating literary and visual sources with music and material culture, students will hone their skills in the study of each of these fields.
Grading
- Attendance and participation 10%
- Group PowerPoint 10%
- Canvas discussion posts 10%
- Reading quizzes 20%
- Research project 25%
- Final exam 25%
NOTES:
This course fulfills the Global Humanities requirements for the
Materials
REQUIRED READING:
Dan Cruickshank, Cruickshank’s London: A Portrait of a City in 13 Walks (Penguin Random House 2021)
ISBN: 9781847948236
All other readings will be made available on Canvas.
REQUIRED READING NOTES:
Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.
Registrar Notes:
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS
At SFU, you are expected to act honestly and responsibly in all your academic work. Cheating, plagiarism, or any other form of academic dishonesty harms your own learning, undermines the efforts of your classmates who pursue their studies honestly, and goes against the core values of the university.
To learn more about the academic disciplinary process and relevant academic supports, visit:
- SFU’s Academic Integrity Policy: S10-01 Policy
- SFU’s Academic Integrity website, which includes helpful videos and tips in plain language: Academic Integrity at SFU
RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION
Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the term are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.