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Home , Herald Square, Mulberry Bend, Tompkins Square Park

University of Denver Department of Geography & the Environment

Course Syllabus GEOG 3940 Urban Geographies of (Urban Geography Seminar) Instructor: E. Eric Boschmann, Associate Professor [email protected]

Course dates and planning considerations: This course begins in New York City on Monday, June 17th (late afternoon) and ends on Sunday, June 23rd (morning). Students are responsible for arranging their travel to/from NYC with these course dates in mind. The class is taught entirely in New York City, and requires an extensive amount of walking each day as well as riding of the city subway system. Course fees includes 6 nights shared hotel room, all tours and museum fees, plus 2 group meals. Students will need money for most meals, and should bring extra money for hotel room tips, souvenirs, or discretionary spending.

Course Description: This course examines the rise of the modern metropolis through intensive study of New York City. Participants in this course will observe and experience the city through spirited urban hiking and subway riding to learn key themes in urban geography including, the historic evolution of the city, changes in dominant urban issues across time, and contemporary approaches to understanding human urban landscapes. Specifically this class will focus upon urban change, urban growth and development, urban infrastructures and transportation, urban design and architecture, economies of the city, tourism and culture, social geographies, and urban sustainability. The course will be conducted entirely in New York City.

Course Goals: The purpose of this course is to: • Develop an in-depth knowledge about major urban themes more broadly, and New York City more specifically, through on-the-ground experiences and observation, as well as readings and discussions;

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• Practice skills of analyzing the city: its people, its spaces, its history, its networks and flows; • See NYC beyond a tourist-level view, and speak intelligently about the evolution and current geographies of NYC; • to expand student confidence in independently exploring large cities; • Practice and demonstrate important soft skills, including: organization, punctuality, preparedness, leadership, and responsibility/accountability.

Learning Objectives: By the end of this course students will be able to: • Utilize several navigational tools to get around New York City and its public transportation system that can be applied in any large city of the world; • Map and describe the local and regional geographies of NYC; • Demonstrate knowledge about specific urban themes applied in NYC (themes include: historic urban evolution, urban growth and development, public transportation, urban design, architecture, spaces of memorial, economies of the city, tourism and culture, social geographies, and urban sustainability); • Draw connections of explored urban themes to other cities.

Course Requirements: Participation and engagement (40%): Students are expected to actively participate in all scheduled sessions of this travel course. Please see the expectations (below) on Punctuality, Preparedness, and Participation. Participation and engagement will be assessed on a daily basis. Students are expected to be fully engaged during all scheduled course events. Among other things, reduction in daily participation grade will result from: absence/tardiness, excessive use of smartphones for non-class purposes, disrespect of guest speakers / tour guides, disruptiveness, or general disengagement from the class. Participation and engagement will be assessed on a daily basis with the following points structure: Day 0, 25 points; Day 1 – 5, 50 points each; Day 6, 25 points, for a total of 300 points.

Readings (20%): Students are also expected to complete all assigned course readings. These are generally short chapters, news articles, websites, documentaries, or TED talks. Most readings will be posted on Canvas the week prior to Interterm. A few short items may be given during the week in NYC. The time in NYC should be spent exploring the city, participating in class activities, reflecting on the day’s learnings, and resting for the next day. Therefore, not all readings can be completed while in NYC. You should write and submit brief reflections on each assigned reading. Some can be completed before arriving in NYC, and some completed the week after.

Daily Field Journal / Reflections (30%): At the end of each day, students will respond to several open-ended questions that are either specific to events from the day, reflections on a discussion point or a reading, or a broader reflection on something experienced. If you chose to bring a laptop, this can be submitted via Canvas each evening. Alternatively, you can hand write these each evening, the submit them via Canvas the following week.

Final Report (10%): After the course is completed, students will compile a Final Report based upon reflective analysis of their key questions on New York City or urban geography in general. Details of Final Report expectations will be given. Due 2 weeks after completion of the course.

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Final course grading scale: 94 – 100% = A; 90 – 93% = A-; 87 – 89% = B+; 83 – 86% = B; 80 – 82% = B-; 77 – 79% = C+; 73 – 76% = C; 70 – 72% = C-; 67 – 69% = D+; 63 – 66% = D; 60 – 62% = D-; below 60% = F

Logistics: Travel to/from New York City: Students are responsible for arranging their travel to and from New York City. Class begins Monday, June 17th at the hotel, and is completed on Sunday, June 23rd. Students should make their travel arrangements such that they arrive and depart the hotel accordingly.

Hotel Accommodations: Hotel arrangements for 6 nights will be made for you. The hotel provides complimentary breakfast and WiFi. If you choose to stay in New York for extra days, making hotel arrangements is your responsibility. Our hotel is either: Washington Square Hotel 103 , New York, NY 10011 (212-777-9515), or the Best Western Premier - Central 50 West 36th Street, New York, New York 10018 (212-776-1024) [Hotel will be finalized in April/May 2019]

Money: Your paid program fees cover many expenses for your trip, including: • Entrance to all course related events, tours, museums, a show, etc… • A 7-day unlimited transit pass (given to you at the hotel) • Two group meals • A shared hotel room for 6 nights

You should bring extra money for: • Transportation to/from airport to hotel • All other meals (complementary breakfast is available in the hotel); • Any souvenirs or all personal purchases; • Tip Money. It is customary to give hotel staff a tip, especially those who clean your room each day ($1-$3 per person, per room, each morning), and the breakfast room staff ($1 daily). • Laundry service (the hotel may have coin operated laundry facilities) • Expenses for any activities during free time • Any taxi/Uber/Lyft rides

How to pack: Please check the forecast for New York City, and pack clothes accordingly. Bring a variety for different types of weather. Generally, you will not need any dressy/formal clothes. For the Broadway show, pack something other than shorts and t-shirt. Bring several changes of clothes, and consider whether you will need laundry service. Ideally aim for traveling with one roller bag / suitcase and one personal backpack.

Required items: • Student ID: tickets to various events are purchased at the college student rate. Your student ID might be required verification. Failure to bring your ID may result in full-adult fare charge, at your expense. • Official/Government ID: This may be needed for entrance to certain tours. • Rain jacket and/or umbrella: we will explore the city rain or shine. • Small notebook for taking notes while in the field. Think small and convenient. You can expand your notes at night on your computer or in a larger notebook.

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• Good walking shoes. Be prepared for lots of walking (think: urban hiking). Flip-flops or high heels are NOT advisable for any of the scheduled class sessions. • An open and curious mind, and a positive attitude.

Recommended items: • Camera: smartphone or small point-and-shoot is preferred over large and expensive DSLRs • Reusable water bottle • A small day-pack • Tablet or Laptop: to access readings and submit writings via Canvas, you may want some device with you. • Luggage locks

Class “rules” / Policies / Expectations • Respect all others. • Visual observation of the urban experience is a theme of this course. We should constantly be looking around us, not at our devices. While in the field, smartphones should be used sparingly: picture taking and occasional way-finding or information searching. Irresponsible use of your device while in the field will result in participation/engagement grade reduction. • Underage and/or overconsumption of alcohol will not be tolerated. Use of any illegal drugs will not be tolerated. Instances of either will result in immediate dismissal from the course. • The Three P’s: Punctuality, Preparedness, Participation o You are expected to arrive on time for all scheduled class sessions. o You are expected to arrive prepared for all scheduled class sessions. This not only includes preparing any assigned readings/tasks, but also physically and mentally prepared to explore and engage the city. o You are expected to participate in all scheduled class sessions. This includes staying on the assigned task, asking questions and contributing to discussions, listening to guest speakers, and using class session time fully and effectively. At times you may be asked to take a small leadership role of some kind.

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Reading List Required readings will be noted on Canvas; the remaining readings are supplemental.

Alderman, Derek. H. and Owen J. Dwyer. 2009. "Monuments and Memorials." In International Encyclopedia of Human Geography, Rob Kitchin and Nigel Thrift, eds. Oxford: Elsevier, Volume 7, pp. 51-58.

Bagli, Charles. 2010. “After 30 Years, Rebirth is Complete” New York Times, December 4, page A17.

Berger, Joseph. 2007. The world in a city: Traveling the globe through the neighborhoods of the New New York. Ballantine Books. (Selected excerpts)

City of New York. 2014. One City: Built to Last. Transforming New York City’s Buildings for a Low-Carbon Future. Mayor’s Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability.

Currid, Elizabeth, and Sarah Williams. 2010. “The geography of buzz: Art, culture, and the social milieu in Los Angeles and New York” Journal of Economic Geography, 10:423-451.

Engels, Friedrich, 1845. “The Great Towns” from The conditions of the working class in England. Excerpt from: The City Reader, R. LeGates and F. Stout, eds. London: Routledge, p. 46-55.

Foote, K. E. 2003. Shadowed ground: America’s landscapes of violence and tragedy, 2nd edition. Austin: University of Texas Press. (Selected excerpts)

Ford, Larry. 1994. Chapter 1 “Downtown Buildings: The Role of the Skyscraper in Shaping the American Central Business District”, in Cities and Buildings: Skyscrapers, Skid Rows, and Suburbs. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 10-63

Ford, Larry. 2009. “The city as a ride” FOCUS on Geography. 52(4): 39-47.

Friedrich, Su. 2012. Gut Renovation. New York: Outcast Films. DVD, 82 minutes.

Galinsky, Michael, and Suki Hawley. 2011. Battle for . New York: RUMUR. DVD, 93 minutes.

Grescoe, Taras. 2012. “The subway that time forgot: New York, New York”, in Straphanger: Saving our cities and ourselves from the automobile. New York: Times Books/Henry Holt.

Hall, Tim, and Heather Barrett. 2012. Chapter 8 “Architecture”, in Urban Geography 4th edition, New York: Routledge.

Jackson, Kenneth. 1985. “The baby boom and the age of the subdivision”, Ch. 13 in: Crabgrass Frontier: The Suburbanization of the United States. New York and London: Oxford University Press.

Jacobs, Allan. 1985. Chapter 1 “Starting to Look” and Chapter 5 “Seeing Change”, in Looking at cities. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

Jacobs, Jane. 1958. “Downtown is for People”. Fortune.

Lankevich, George. 2002. New York City: A Short History. New York: NYU Press.

Lynch, Kevin. 1960. The Image of the City. Cambridge: MIT Press (selected excerpts)

Owen, David. 2004. “Green : Why New York is the greenest city in the US”, The New Yorker, October 18.

Sassen, Saskia. 2005. “The Global City: Introducing a Concept”.

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Sze, Julie. 2009. “Sports and environmental justices: ‘Games’ of race, place, nostalgia, and power in neoliberal New York City”, Journal of Sport and Social Issues, 33(2):111-129.

Smith, Neil. 1996. “After : Degentrification and the Revanchist City”

Solecki, William. 2012. “Urban environmental challenges and climate change action in New York City” Environment & Urbanization, 24(2):557-573.

Spirou, Costas. 2011. “Globalization, Urban Competition, and Tourism”, in Urban Tourism and Urban Change: Cities in a Global Economy. New York: Routledge.

Tate, Alan 2015. Chapter 4, ; Chapter 5: The Park; Chapter 24: Great City Parks, 2nd edition. New York: Routledge.

Whyte, William H. 1980. “Introduction” and Chapter 1 “The Life of Plazas”, in The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces, Washington D.C.: The Conservation Foundation.

Zukin, Sharon. 1982. “Loft living as ‘historic compromise’ in the urban core: The New York experience” International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 6(2):256-267.

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GEOG 3940: Urban Geographies of New York City Summer Interterm 2019 Professor Eric Boschmann

SCHEDULE Actual daily activities subject to change. Final itinerary will be established in late May (Note: time critical events)

Day Arrive NYC Find dinner on your own. Monday (#0) We will meet once everyone arrives, around 5:30pm June 17 - Course welcome at the hotel - Ferry - Walk Broadway from Union Square Park to Madison Square Park

Be ready for 8:30 am departure from hotel - Central Park - Museum of the City of New York - Lunch: Amish Market Tuesday (#1) - June 18 - World Trade Center: o Visit “Oculus” transit station o Visit 9/11 Memorial (we will not enter the 9/11 Museum) o Freedom Tower - Washington Park - Dinner: Lombardi’s (oldest pizzeria in NYC)

Be ready for 8:30 am departure from hotel MANHATTAN LOWER - Five Points and “Mulberry Bend” Wednesday - 10 am – 12 noon Museum and Neighborhood Tour (#2) - Lunch options: Katz’s Delicatessen (est. 1888!), or Joe’s Shanghai June 19 - Museum (1:30pm film; 2p -3:30p Under One Roof Tour) - Evening option: Museum Mile Festival 6 -9 pm Fifth Ave, 82nd – 105th Streets MET MUSEUM OPEN LATE (9pm) Tuesday, June 12th:

Be ready for 8:30 am departure from hotel

- 9 am – 12 noon tour with Dr. Minn Thursday - Lunch (#3) - 1:30 (2:30-3:30) United Nations Tour (GOVT ID REQUIRED) June 20 - - Bryant Park - Dinner on your own, and evening free

Be ready for 8:30 am departure from hotel BROOKLYN - district - Transit Museum - Downtown Brooklyn, Fulton Mall Friday (#4) - Lunch at Junior’s in Brooklyn June 21 - 2pm – 3:30pm Brooklyn Navy Yard Tour - DUMBO, BK - Walk Brooklyn Bridge (weather permitting)

- Dinner on your own, and evening free

Be ready for 8:30 am departure from hotel

- 9:30 (10am departure) Around Manhattan Architecture and Infrastructure tour (Pier 62) - Lunch (Pier 62 or Chelsea Market) Saturday - Chelsea Market (#5) - Walk High Line Park June 22 - Late afternoon free - Dinner on your own - 7:30pm Broadway Show (be at your theater no less than 30 minutes prior to curtain time)

- Post-show discussion at Lillies Victorian Establishment 249 W 49th Street, New York, NY 10019 Final discussion 8:30am Location TBD (Depending upon student departure schedules) - Course review Sunday (#6) - Discuss final project ideas June 23 - Hotel check out by 12 noon - Goodbye!