Slow Motion Riot, The Social Life of the Metropolis WNY 303

Instructor: Philip Kasinitz

An exploration of the social life of New York , the distinctive, yet paradigmatic modern city. The course examines the emergence of New York City as an international center of business, finance, and culture, and as the main gateway to America for an ever-changing array of newcomers from all over the world. Special attention to the city’s ethnic and racial tensions; the experiences of its new immigrants; its cleavages between wealth and poverty, celebrity and obscurity; its vibrant neighborhoods; and its always contested use of space.

Readings include selections from: Jane Jacobs, The Death and Life of Great American Cities; Nathan Glazer and Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Beyond the Melting Pot; Marshall Berman, All Things Solid Melt into Air; E.B. White, Here is New York; Colson Whitehead, The Colossus of New York; Joshua Freeman, Working Class New York; Tyler Anbinder, Five Points; Min Zhou, Chinatown; William Kornblum, At Sea in the City; Mitchell Duneier, Sidewalk; Robert Jackall, Wild Cowboys; Philip Kasinitz et alBeco min g New Yorkers; Nancy Lopez, Hopeful Girls, Troubled Boys; Robert C. Smith, Mexican New York; and Nancy Foner, The Wounded City.

Format: discussion seminar.
Requirements: full participation in the seminar, term paper.