“They can print statistics and count the populations in hundreds of thousands, but to each man a city consists of no more than a few streets, a few houses, a few people.” -Graham Greene, Our Man in Havana, 1958
This course asks the central question: how might we understand the complicated relationship between our understanding of the “ideal” city, our experiences in cities, and the numbers and images we use to describe the City? We will explore the ways in which statistics, maps, and images may corroborate or belie what we understand to be true of lived experience within urban spaces. Our course considers the city a living and dynamic organism, both a human construct and ever-present agent subtly shaping social performance. The curriculum will highlight diverse academic disciplines, ranging from art history to sociology, philosophy to urban planning. Participating students should be interested in working creatively with fellow classmates and making occasional off-campus site visits. Prior experience with statistics and mapping is not required or expected.
This course asks the central question: how might we understand the complicated relationship between our understanding of the “ideal” city, our experiences in cities, and the numbers and images we use to describe the City? We will explore the ways in which statistics, maps, and images may corroborate or belie what we understand to be true of lived experience within urban spaces. Our course considers the city a living and dynamic organism, both a human construct and ever-present agent subtly shaping social performance. The curriculum will highlight diverse academic disciplines, ranging from art history to sociology, philosophy to urban planning. Participating students should be interested in working creatively with fellow classmates and making occasional off-campus site visits. Prior experience with statistics and mapping is not required or expected.
- Teacher: Read McFaddin