INSTRUCTORS’ OVERVIEW:
People shape cities. Cities shape people. In this class we will explore the way this dynamic between a city and its people plays out historically in creating the New York that we share together. Even as New York shapes our lives, the ways New York has responded to its resident in terms of housing, services, and transportation for example, shapes the City. The choices we make determine where we help build subways, skyscrapers and houses. These in turn shape our choices of the neighborhoods in which to live, schools in which to learn and careers with which to support ourselves and our families. A city often appears frozen in its concrete form, but it’s not. It is an ever-changing reality that evolves with the passage of time and the flow of the people who pass through it. Thus to understanding the Peopling of New York, we are going to learn about the connections between our personal lives, our family histories, and the city where it is all playing out. To say this in another way, we will explore New York in its three dimensional complexity: people, place, and time.
OBJECTIVES:
Upon completing this class, students will be able to:
- Explain what it means to say that people shape the city and that the city shapes its people
- Analyze demographic data in order to understand the changing population of the city
- Understand how political, economic, and social factors impacted the development of New York City both demographically and physically
- Undertake an independent inquiry of a community in the City
TEXTS:
Foner, Nancy. Ed. One out of Three: Immigrant New York in the Twenty-First Century. New York: Columbia University Press, 2013.
Frederick Binder and David Reimers. All Nations under Heaven: An Ethnic and Racial History of New York City. New York: Columbia University Press, 1995.
Additional readings to be made available.
Recommended
Da Costa Nunez, R. & Sribnick, E. The Poor among Us: A History of Family Poverty and Homelessness in New York City. New York: White Tiger Press, 2013.
EVALUATION:
Student performance will be evaluated based on the following requirements.
- 6 responses papers, 2-3 pages in length. These papers will be address reading and class discussion with the intent to advance the final project mapping the D Train
- Response Paper 1 – Due Class 4, Wednesday, February 5; Immigrant History (5%)
- Response Paper 2 – Due Class 8, Monday, February 24, Response paper concerning the dynamics of early immigration to New York City (10%)
- Response Paper 3 – Due Class 12, Monday, March 10, Response paper explaining the demographics of your assigned subway stop community (15%)
- Response Paper 4 – Due Class 16; Monday, March 24, A visit to your assigned subway stop, what did you see? (15%)
- Response Paper 5 – Due Class 20, Monday, April 7, Immigration policy and its impact on one community along the D Train. (10%)
- Response Paper 6– Due Class 23, Monday, April 28, Interview assignment explaining the social issues confronting your assigned subway stop community (15%)
- 5-7 page comparative essay of 2 communities that can be found along the D train
- Due May 21 (20%)
- Development of web page that visualized the community along the D train (10%).
All assignments will be submitted through TurnItIn.com
GRADING POLICY:
The grading standards are: A Couldn’t be better; A- Excellent with minor flaws; B+ Very Good; B Good; B- Good with minor flaws; C+, C, C- Fair, D….
For each written assignment, grades will be lowered for late submissions, unless the student has previously arranged a later date on the basis of serious problem that interfered with its timely completion.
A NOTE ON ACADEMIC HONESTY:
Students are encouraged to discuss the readings and to share insights in preparing assignments. Each assignment must, however, be written and completed by each individual on his or her own.
Plagiarism will not be tolerated. “Plagiarism is the act of presenting another person’s ideas, research or writings as your own. The following are some examples of plagiarism:
• Copying another person’s actual words without the use of quotation marks and footnotes;
• Presenting another person’s ideas or theories in your own words without acknowledging them;
• Using information that is not common knowledge without acknowledging the source;
• Failing to acknowledge collaborators on homework and laboratory assignments.” (http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/academic/academic_integrity.htm#plagiarism_definition)
If a student engages in such behaviors, he or she will receive a zero points for the assignment and will be reported to the Dean of Students.
If you have any questions concerning issues of plagiarism, you are strongly encouraged to review the brochure entitled Academic Dishonesty. (http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/academic/documents/academic_integrity.pdf)
STATEMENT ON DIFFERENTLY ABLED ASSISTANCE FROM THE PROVOST’S OFFICE
“Students with disabilities may receive assistance and accommodation of various sorts to enable them to participate fully in courses at Baruch. To establish the accommodations appropriate for each student, please alert your instructor to your needs and contact the Office of Services for Students with Disabilities, part of the Division of Student Development and Counseling. For more information contact Ms. Barbara Sirois, Director of this office in NVC 2-271 or at (646) 312-4590.”
