The website Conflict and Coexistence in Cosmopolis is a collective effort in putting forth the knowledge gained in a course about the history and geography of New York City: ‘Conflict and Coexistence in Cosmopolis,’ led by Professor Grazyna Drabik. We are the Macaulay Honors College at City College class of 2018.
Every minute of every day, New York City is changing. New buildings are erected as old beloved ones are torn down, much to the dismay of disgruntled citizens. New citizens pour into the city just as old “native New Yorkers” either stay or move out. New conflicts arise and we figure out how to solve them lest we are willing to let them divide us, but it seems that despite all of these differences, at the end of every conflict is a union of people with unique ideas that coexist.
The “Respond to Respond” section is dedicated to the very first assignment. We visited Respond, an exhibition at the Smack Melon Gallery in DUMBO that used art to retaliate against recent cases of police brutality. It was informative and emotional. We began the semester’s work talking about it and about our responses to the art we encountered. The section named for it houses a sample of our reactions.
The “Knowledge” tab is divided into three categories: “Immigration Groups”, “Films and Readings”, and “Visits and Tours”. Overall, it is a section of what we learned in class. The “Immigration Groups” section focuses on four major immigration groups in New York City history: the Chinese, the Jews, the Italians, and the Irish; the material posted here is part of the larger group reports presented in class. The “Films and Readings” section contains highlights from our readings and the films we watched on the meshing and clashing of New York citizens. The “Visits and Tours” section presents our findings during our out of class experiences when we visited museums and historical sites or walked around the historic neighborhoods of New York City.
Lastly, the “Looking Forward” section contains our personal projects that take on a wide range of mediums, but all revolve around one topic: what New York City means to us.
