Studies IV-VI Urban Discourses

Today, for the first time in human history, half of the world’s population lives in cities. In this yearlong sequence we will focus on the ways in which the modern city is structured around the global flow of capital and people. We read cities as historical centers of trade and emblems of cosmopolitan ethos as well as fulcrums of transnational cultural production and political economies that mark contemporary globalization. We investigate the conjunction of property, labor and belonging as they shape and shift urban landscapes. We will discuss the ecology of cities and the impact of urbanization on the global environment.

As we explore the literal and metaphorical make-up of cities, we will pay particular attention to how different academic disciplines and domains construct, study and inhabit the urban environment. We will bring in readings from urban ecologists, historians, artists, literary critics and sociologists to discuss the discourses of cities. Finally, we will throughout the year be using the city of Portland as a laboratory for our work.