Africana Studies 302 - Urban Policy

Gentrification, unemployment, crime, failing schools, disinvestment, mass incarceration--what comes to mind when you think of the inner city? In response to a constrained fiscal environment, cities have increasingly adopted neoliberal policy approaches to address seemingly intractable urban problems. The seminar will study current research to assess the political and economic impact of this neoliberal policy regime on housing, education, and public safety. This is an inter-institutional class, linked with an advanced seminar on the same topic at Holyoke Community College. Both classes will meet together occasionally for films and guest speakers.