Chicago As An Urban History Laboratory

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

This course introduces students to core questions, problems, and concepts in United States urban history by studying one particular city, Chicago. The goal is not to learn the history of Chicago per se, but to use Chicago as a vehicle for exploring different approaches to understanding urban development and the urban experience. In that sense, Chicago will serve as our laboratory of discovery. Drawing on the rich trove of existing historical studies of Chicago, we will consider the city's past from numerous angles, such as the economy, law, political culture, space and architecture, race and ethnicity, and gender and sexuality. Our readings will incorporate historical studies as well as a diverse range of primary sources, including fiction, art, photography, maps, travel journals, and poetry. Students will have the opportunity to produce their own original research employing the urban history approaches encountered in the course.