The Cultural and Social Life of the Built Environment

This seminar investigates the relationship between people and place. It considers the ways that people create and experience the human-made landscape, how they understand place through various aesthetic forms, and political conflict over space and place. We look mostly at the history and contemporary development of cities and suburbs in the United States. Students will prepare a final project on a specific aspect of the built environment; they will be encouraged to focus their research on Providence or another local community. Enrollment limited to 20. Priority given to Urban Studies concentrators and seniors; instructor permission required otherwise.