Critical Social Inquiry 0124 - Global Infrastructures

Cities are primarily understood through their key physical attributes, which include rail and bus systems, mixed-use re-development projects, athletic stadiums, and highway systems. Through a diverse set of projects such as Robert Moses' ambitious and contentious plans in modernizing New York City, efforts in Curitiba, Brazil to create a systematic public bus system, and the World Cup's expeditious construction of stadiums in the name of global common good, the course will examine the political, economic, and social entanglements explicitly tied to the exercise of urban development. Premised on a trans-urban comparative approach, the course will examine a range of ideas, debates, and research within and between cities and infrastructural projects in the Global North and Global South. The main goal for the course is to train students in critical analysis in processes of urban development.

Power, Community and Social Justice Independent Work Multiple Cultural Perspectives Independent Work Students are expected to spend at least six to eight hours a week of preparation and work outside of class time.