New York University a Private University in the Public Service

Global Nightlife: Spring 2011 New York University A Private University in the Public Service Class Title Global Nightlife Listed as Global Nightlife V18.9680002 4 points Instructor Contact Name: Andrew Field Information Class Time Thursday, 5:00‐8:00 Course Combining the fields of history, sociology, and urban studies, this course Description examines the development of modern metropolitan lifestyles since the late 19th century, with a focus on the special role that nightlife has played in shaping and defining the modern urban experience. With a special focus on and plenty of field trips and site research in Shanghai, but also studying other great world metropolises such as New York, Paris, London, Berlin, and Tokyo, we will trace the development of nightlife as both a popular and elite form of urban culture from the late 1800s to the present day. Special attention will be given to the ways by which larger historical trends and events including capitalism, colonialism, imperialism, war, occupation, revolution, and the “opening and reforms” era have influenced the production of nightlife forms in Shanghai and elsewhere over the past century. We will also examine how nightlife has in turn influenced broader societal trends, including patterns of sociability, consumption, and sexuality in the modern metropolis. Course Objectives Through the activities and assignments associated with this course, students will practice and hone their skills in reading, research, analysis, writing, presentation, and discussion. For their group project, students will carry out original fieldwork in the nightlife zones of contemporary Shanghai and present their findings to the class. Grading 1) Six 250‐word “thought papers” based on the readings for the Components course, to be handed to the instructor throughout the semester at the beginning of six different classes of the student’s choice (5 percent each, 30 percent total) 2) One individual essay of around 3000 words (30 percent) 3) One group project presentation given at the end of the semester (20 percent) 4) One 1500‐word transcription of an interview with a person in the nightlife scene being researched by the group (10 percent) 5) One 1500‐word description of an evening spent in the establishment being researched by the group (10 percent) New York University in Shanghai Global Nightlife: Spring 2011 Instructor Bio Grading A: Excellent performance showing a thorough knowledge and Expectations understanding of the topics of the course; all work includes clear, logical explanations, insight, and original thought and reasoning. B: Good performance with general knowledge and understanding of the topics; all work includes general analysis and coherent explanations showing some independent reasoning, reading and research. C: Satisfactory performance with some broad explanation and reasoning; the work will typically demonstrate an understanding of the course on a basic level. D: Passable performance showing a general and superficial understanding of the course’s topics; work lacks satisfactory insight, analysis or reasoned explanations. F: Unsatisfactory performance in all assessed criteria. Activities Optional and suggested trips and events will be discussed throughout the semester. Attendance Policy NYU in Shanghai has a strict policy about course attendance that allows no unexcused absences. Each unexcused absence will result in the deduction of three percentage points from the final grade. More than two unexcused absences will result in failure of the course. All absences due to illness require a signed doctor’s note from a local facility as proof that you have been ill and have sought treatment for that illness. All absence requests and excuses must be discussed with the Academic Support staff. Non‐illness absences must be discussed with the Academic Support staff or the Program Director prior to the date(s) in question. Students should contact their instructors to catch up on missed work but should not approach them for excused absences. If you must miss class (for any reason), the Academic Support staff will determine whether or not it is an unexcused absence. If your absence is not excusable, you risk missing class as a detriment to your grade. Students are expected to arrive to class promptly both at the start of class and after breaks. The Academic Assistant will check attendance 15 minutes after class begins. Arriving more than 15 minutes late or leaving more than 10 minutes early will be considered an unexcused absence. Unexcused absences from exams are not permitted and will result in failure of the exam. If you are granted an excused absence from an exam by the Academic Support staff, your instructor will decide how you will make up the exam. New York University in Shanghai Global Nightlife: Spring 2011 This attendance policy also applies for classes involving a field trip or other off‐campus visit. It is the student’s responsibility to arrive at the agreed meeting point on time. There will be no adjustment of attendance records after the end of the semester. If you wish to contest a marked absence, you must do so before you leave Shanghai; so if you think that there may be a discrepancy about your attendance in class on a given day, ask the NYU in Shanghai academic staff to let you look at the attendance record. Submission of Late Written work due in class must be submitted during class time. Work Late work should be submitted in person to the Academic Support staff during regular office hours (9:30‐6:00, Monday‐Friday). The Academic Support staff will mark down the date and time of submission in the presence of the student. Work submitted within five weekdays will be penalized one portion of a grade for every day that it is late (so if it is late by one day, an assignment marked an “A” will be changed to an “A‐,” and so on). Work submitted more than five days after the due date without an agreed extension will be given a zero. Please note that final essays must be submitted on time. Plagiarism Policy Plagiarism: the presentation of another person’s words, ideas, judgment, images or data as though they were your own, whether intentionally or unintentionally, constitutes an act of plagiarism. Students must retain an electronic copy of their work until final grades are posted on Albert. They must be prepared to supply an electronic copy if requested to do so by NYU in Shanghai. Not submitting a copy of their work upon request will result in automatic failure in the assignment and possible failure in the class. Penalties for confirmed cases of plagiarism are set out in the Academic Guide. Required Text(s) Week 1 Introduction to Course Thursday, February 24th Class discussion: Why do people like to go out clubbing and barhopping and what do they get out of it? What sorts of nightlife experiences have students had (if any)? Why do people enjoy dancing and what is the social significance of dancing in a public setting such as a nightclub? New York University in Shanghai Global Nightlife: Spring 2011 Reading (each reading will be for the following week’s discussion): 1) David Grazian, “The Girl Hunt: Urban Nightlife and the Performance of Masculinity as Collective Activity,” Symbolic Interaction, Vol. 30, Issue 2, pp. 221–243 2) James Farrer and Andrew Field, Shanghai Nightscapes: Nightlife, Globalization, and Sexuality in the Chinese Metropolis, 01920 ‐201 (unpublished manuscript) Introduction and Chapter 1 Week 2 Class discussion: What does Grazian mean when he states that the “girl Thursday, March 3rd hunt” is “ritualistic and performative”? What sort of methodology does he use (in other words, where does he get his data from and how does he analyze it?) How does he interpret the behaviors of young men and women in nightlife environments? Do you agree or disagree with his findings? How do Field and Farrer define “nightlife?” What do they regard as the most significant features of the nightlife environment of Shanghai over the past century? What do they mean by the term “contact zone” and why is this important to an analysis of nightlife? Lecture: The Origins of Modern Nightlife: The Cabarets of Fin‐de‐Siecle Paris and New York City Film: Toulouse Lautrec and Montmartre Reading: 1) Charles Rearick, Pleasures of the Belle Epoque: Entertainment and Festivity in Turn of the Century France (Yale University Press, 1985) pp. 53‐ 80 2) Kathy Peiss, Cheap Amusements (Temple University Press, 1986) ch. 4 “Dance Madness” 88‐114 3) Lewis Erenberg, Steppin’ Out: New York Nightlife and the Transformation of American Culture, 1890‐1930 (University of Chicago Press, 1984) ch. 4 “Action Environment” Field trip 1: Hengshan Road. After class students can join the instructor for an optional dinner at a restaurant in the Hengshan Road area, followed by a tour of the district’s nightlife. Clubs and bars visited will likely include Zapatas and Phebe 3D Week 3 Class discussion: Why was Montmartre such a lodestone for Parisian Thursday, March 10th cabaret culture and what was that culture? In New York City, what were the main reasons for young men and women to frequent dance establishments? Do you see any connections between that world and the New York University in Shanghai Global Nightlife: Spring 2011 one described by Grazian in the previous week’s reading? What does Erenberg mean when he states that cabarets in early 20th century NYC were “action environments?” What connections did these establishments have to those of fin‐de‐siecle Paris? Lecture: From Courtesan Houses and Geisha Quarters to Cafes and Jazz Cabarets: The Transformation of Nightlife in Jazz‐Age Shanghai and Tokyo Film: Sin Cities: Shanghai Reading: 1) James Farrer and Andrew Field, Shanghai Nightscapes, Chapter 2 2) E. Taylor Atkins, Blue Nippon: Authenticating Jazz in Japan (Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2001) Ch.

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