POSC 418 - Seminar: Urbanism and Civil Society: Decline and …?

In this seminar, students consider both the life cycles of American industrial cities and the rise and fall of “urbanism”–informal, interpersonal processes of leadership, problem solving, and street-level self-government that took root as such cities developed and then eroded as they declined. Urbanism is one important variety of “social capital” and “civil society,” and helps students understand such concepts in detail. With strong urbanism in place, an unambitious local government can succeed; without it, even the best ideas backed by generous funding are likely to fail. The class focuses on the city of New Haven, Connecticut, and close reading of several classic texts. Students use the “Sim City 4” urban simulator to explore the processes outlined in the readings, and build and analyze simulated cities of their own. More recent readings on urban trends and styles of development round out the class’s consideration of the ways in which cities once governed themselves and of the problems they face in the future.

Credits: 1.00
Corequisite: None
Prerequisites: POSC 150
Major/Minor Restrictions: None
Class Restriction: None
Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
Liberal Arts CORE: None

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