About this course

Cities are ever-changing spaces that are defined and re-defined through our experiences, memories and cultural practices. For some, they are merely places for work, leisure and commerce, but for others, they are something far greater: landscapes to traverse, sources of identity, canvases, homes and/or political battlegrounds. This course explores some of the different ways in which people have both theorized, and actively contested, the meaning and function of cities. To these ends, we will examine the prospects and problems of cities with an eye toward the intersections of public space, mobility, consumerism, political dissent, gender, race and media representation. This course is designed not only to introduce students to some of the key concepts in cultural geography and urban studies, but to also engage with the ‘politics of everyday life’ as articulated by scholars, urban planners, political activists, skateboarders, graffiti artists, bicyclists, walkers, drivers, culture jammers, squatters, the homeless and the urban poor.

This course was first taught in the Spring of 2008 and will be taught again in Fall 2009. Please feel free to check out the syllabus, the blog archives and links to various resources from the course (to your right). Please keep in mind that the general theoretical topography of this course will remain constant, but specific reading assignments and weekly themes are subject to change based on my own inklings as well as the helpful feedback I receive from students. Any articles or sections of texts linked through this site are for educational purposes only.


-Zack Furness, PhD