Sociology 3841: Urban Justice Tour--2 credits
I nstructor: Bruce Mork Office Phone: 726-8451 Office: 205 Cina. E-mail: bmork@d.umn.edu
This course will be offered May 13-18, 2012, leaving at 7.45 Sunday morning from the AmTrak Station, 730 Transfer Road, in St. Paul (use MapQuest or Google maps for directions) and returning Friday, (leaving the Chicago Amtrak station at 2:15 and returning to the St. Paul AmTrak station around 10.30. You should get to the train station around 7.15 (the extra time is to allow for any traffic delays).We'll be staying in the Harris Family Hostel in Chicago. Bedding and towels are provided, but a few of you may want to bring a locks (there's several lockers in each room and we can share). . I don't know yet whether we will have showers in the rooms or need to go down the hall to shared showers.
You reserve a spot by registering for Sociology 3841 in the June Summer term.
In addition to summer tuition and related UMD fees, costs for the trip itself will be $475, which include the following:
1. Round trip Amtrak train from St. Paul to Chicago and back. 2. Transit pass to cover buses and "el" while in Chicago. 3. 5 nights at the Ira & Nicki Harris Family Hostel(includes breakfasts). 4. Your share of instructor's expenses.
Text Options:
1. Sudhir Venkatesh. Off the Books: the Underground Economy of the Urban Poor. Venkatesh was writing a book about the Robert Taylor Homes, a now demolished housing project on the South Side of Chicago and in the process, got very involved in a ten-square block community he calls Marquis Park, in which gang members, homeless people, street hustlers, preachers, and black entrepreneurs interact regularly in their effort to make a living "off the books." (without regular jobs, of which few are available). Our Monday explorations will take us near this neighborhood, though Venkatesh does not identify it in terms of blocks and addresses.
2. Bogira, Courthouse 302: a year's observation in a Cook country Courtroom by a reporter for the Chicago Reporter. Bogira covers a case which reveals that the Cook County police had been illegally keeping two sets of records, picking only the materials that are most favorable to the prosecution for their official records. He also documents the mistreatment of black prisoners in one police precinct.
You need to order the text yourself, although I will facilitate a group order if you wish.
Course Description: This is a guided tour of Chicago neighborhoods, with an emphasis on issues of inequality, justice, and change. It will also include observation in one of the largest criminal courts in the country.
Course Requirements: Participate in one orientation session in advance, in addition to the information session. . . Participate in all course-related activities during the week in Chicago. In small groups, visit at least two neighborhoods from a list that will be provided; maintain a journal of Chicago observations, feelings, thoughts while you are there; submit 5-7 page paper by Saturday, June 2, 2012. . You may email it to me as an attachment: bmork@d.umn.edu
Logistics: AmTrak, leaving St. Paul around 7.45 a.m (Be there by 7.15). on Sunday, May 13, and returning around 10.30 p.m. on Friday , May 18.. We'll be staying at the J. Ira & Nicki Harris Family Hostel, in the heart of the downtown, not far from museums, theatres, stores, and restaurants. We will be assigned to rooms with 8-12 people, sleeping on what I think are comfortable bunk beds. Showers may be in the room or down the hall(bring slippers); there are lockers in each room, so a few of us must bring locks. If someone needs to leave a message for you, the number is: 312-360-0300, though I realize most of you have cell phones (and I can also be reached during the trip; my cell phone is 218-349-1905).
Luggage: Keep it easy to carrry. We'll be walking about 8 blocks to and from the Train Station at each end of our trip and you don't want to be carrying two heavy suitcases. I'd recommend a backpack or a suitcase that has rollerblade wheels. (I usually bring my rollerblades, but only for use during the evenings.)
Registration: Registration is for Sociology 3841: Urban Justice Tour (2 credits) and you need to register as part of summer registration through Continuing Education.
Safety: For safety's sake in Chicago, do not go anywhere alone. I also recommend carrying a small billfold rather than a purse, and minimizing the amount of valuables and hard-to-replace items you carry in your billfold. We did have an attempted mugging of one of our students who was going to a restaurant alone in 1994 (she was not hurt and in fact didn't even lose her purse), but the risks to people in groups are minimal. .
Homeless: With so many jjob seekers who can't find work, there will probably be a large number of homeless seeking help on the streets. You may want to decide upon a strategy in advance. We will talk about this in our orientation meeting before we go.
Costs: Besides summer tuition, which will be billed with any other courses you take during the summer, cost for travel plus hostel and books will be $475, charged with your summer tuition (which also includes miscellaneous fees of about $100). That fee also covers the instructor's expenses for travel, hostel, and food. In addition, you will need to pay for your own food and entertainment while you are in Chicago, except that breakfasts at the hostel are included in their fees. .
Clothing: Bring a rain jacket as well as a warm fleece that can go inside the rain jacket if we have a really cold day. Also bring good walking shoes (not flip/flops). Chicago is not called the windy city for nothing, and we will sometimes be walking a long ways (6 miles or more the first full day)as we explore a neighborhood, or travel from an elevated station to our destination. Plan to dress conservatively during our field trips, especially to the courts--no baseball caps, no raggedy clothes, etc.
Identification: You may need to have a drivers license or other state i.d. with photo the day we visit the courts; also, that day, do not bring cameras, cell phones, radios, or pocket knives.
Orientation and discussion sessions. . Round-robin discussion sessions will be held at the hostel on three days (yet to be scheduled) and you do need to attend.
Paper guidelines. All of your observations, thoughts, and feelings in Chicago (not just those on the official field trips) are appropriate for inclusion in your journal and paper. The paper should try to integrate some main themes from your Chicago explorations, but it should not be simply a day-by-day diary. You may want to do a rough draft of your paper on the train coming back from Chicago, and once we're back, you may email papers to me (put the paper in the body of the email, as well as attaching it, in case my word processing software isn't compatible with your word processing program. If you save to Word 1997-2003 it will be fine.
Probable visit sites: Chicago South Side, Kenwood (where President Obama has his residence at 5046 Greenville), Little Village, Chinatown, Cook County Criminal Courts, Hyde Park and the University of Chicago, and other neighborhoods that you will visit in small groups. .
Apart from the field trips and neighborhood visits, you are on your own, but do plan your other activities in groups. Among the activities people have enjoyed on past trips are the following: the Chicago Art Instititute (free Thursdays, 5-8 p.m.), National Museum of Mexican Art (free every day, 10-5; this is part of exploring the to Pilsen neighborhood); various theatres, the Hard Rock Cafe, Second City Comedy Club, jazz club(Buddy Guy's jazz legends is just blocks from our hostel (700 S. Wabash Avenue)and you can get in free after midnight; you need to be 21, unfortunately).
South Side Housing Projects: Community Garden. Those are the Robert Taylor homes in the background and they are all demolished now. . But we will explore this neighborhood, which is beginning to gentrify.