Course Info

Seminar Two: People of New York

  • MCHC.1002, Section T3H, Spring 2018
  • Room: Boylan 4121
  • Class: Tuesday, 3:40 pm-6:10pm

For centuries, New York has been a city of immigrants. Making their way through Ellis Island, JFK airport, Port-Authority, and the Holland Tunnel, newcomers have defined the streets, sites, tastes, and sounds of the city. The history of New York, therefore, is anything but linear; rather, it is a narrative of intersecting cultures, communities, and identities that shape- and are shaped by- a diverse urban experience. Whether they migrated from Mississippi, California, or Ohio, the Dominican Republic, Italy, or Senegal, the people of New York are all integral to the making of this multicultural cityscape.

People of New York will explore how immigration and migration have shaped the culture, politics, economy, and identity of New York City from its first settlers to today. We will track the narrative of New York’s multiculturalism through three themes: “Making a Multi-cultural City,” “Inclusion and Exclusion,” and “Expression, Representation, Consumption.” Through primary sources, reading and writing assignments, historic walking tours, museum exhibitions, and class discussion, we will examine what drew immigrants to this city, where they settled, and how gender, ethnic identities, race, religion, and notions of class informed the various ways that immigrants encountered New York City throughout its 400-year history.

By exploring the diverse cultures and communities of New York throughout the five boroughs, students will have the opportunity to learn about the evolution of different neighborhoods, the development of culinary cultures, and the ways in which diversity continues to redefine the landscape of New York. As we explore these varying perspectives, we will interrogate the meaning of multi-culturalism, the process of Americanization, and the notion of assimilation in a diverse city

Prof. Tamar Rabinowitz

Alexis Carrozza, Instructional Technology Fellow