History 3361: The American City
Spring 2007
9:30-10:45 a.m. Humanities 458
Course Objectives:
1. To gain a better understanding of how American cities developed by focusing on city planning, environmental issues, economic rivalry, cultural trends and attitudes, local government, and urban problems, including urban sprawl.
2. To examine the role and contributions of the city in relation to major themes in American history.
3. To see the American city in its regional, national and international contexts.
Required Paperbacks:
Kenneth T. Jackson, Crabgrass Frontier: The Suburbanization of the United States (1985)
William S. Riordon, Honest Graft: The World of George Washington Plunkitt
Andres Duany, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, and Jeff Speck, Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream (1999)
Jan. 16 Introduction
Historiography
Jan. 18 The Colonial City
Jan. 23 Colonial Town Planning and Architecture Cities in the American Revolution
Read: Introduction and Ch. 1 in Crabgrass Frontier
Jan. 25 Town Rivalry: Early National Cities on the Eastern Seaboard
Jan. 30 Town Promotion on the Frontier
Feb. 1 Town Rivalry in the Ohio River Valley, Great Lakes & in the Twin Cities
Feb. 6 Town Rivalry in Duluth and on the Iron Range
19th Century Attitudes Towards the City
Read: Jackson, Ch. 3
Feb. 8 Impact of Mass Transit and Urban Services
Early Environmental Issues
Read: Jackson, Ch. 2, 5, and 6 in The Human Tradition
Feb. 13 European Origins of American Suburbs
Late 19th Century Suburbs
Video “Suburbs: Arcadia for Everyone” VC 4251
Feb. 15 Esthetic Developments:
Cemeteries and Parks
The "City Beautiful" Movement
Read: Ch. 4 in Jackson
Feb. 20 Exam on lectures, Jackson (Ch. 1-6) - 100 points
Feb. 22 Factory Towns: British Precedents and the Industrial city
Company Towns - 19th Century and early 20th Century
Video: Pullman: Palace Cars and Paradise (VC 612)
Read: Ch. 8 in Jackson
Feb. 27 The Chicago School of Architecture
Early 20th Century Suburbs
Read: Ch. 7 & 9 in Jackson
Mar. 1 Ghettoes:
Immigrant and Ethnic
African American
Mar. 6 Poverty and Social Control
Settlement Houses and Social Reform
Mar. 8 Upward Mobility and Opportunity
The Church in the City
Mar. 13 & 15 Have a great break!
Mar. 20 Boss Politics - Gilded Age
Progressive Era Corruption and Reform
Read: Plunkitt (all chapters)
Mar. 22 Boss Politics-Post-World War II
Video: Daley: The Last Boss
Mar. 27 Exam on lectures since 1st exam, Plunkitt (all chapters), and Jackson (Ch. 7-9), - 100 pts
Mar. 29 Video: “New Deal/New York”
Apr. 3 The Great Depression
Mayors in the Great Depression and World War II
Read: Ch. 11 & 12 in Jackson
Apr. 5 Social Class and Urban Neighborhoods
Low-Income Housing
Turn in your topic for a panel on an aspect of Duluth (paper and presentation - 50 pts)
Apr. 10 International Trends in Town Planning-The Garden City
Inter-War Suburbs
Read: Ch. 10 in Jackson
Apr. 12 Post-War Suburbs
From the Garden City to New Towns
Read: Ch. 13 & 14 in Jackson
Meet with panel members
Apr. 17 Urban Renewal and Recent Affordable Housing Programs
The War on Poverty and Its Aftermath
Gentrification and other Recent Trends
Apr. 19 Sunbelt Cities, Retirement Communities, and the Rust Belt
Video: Robson Communities: Passport to America
Urban Minorities Since World War II
Apr. 24 Panel presentations
Apr. 26 Panel presentations
May 1 The “New Urbanism” and “smart growth”
Video: America the Ugly: Searching for a Better Way to Live (VC 3624)
Read: Ch. 15 in Jackson and Duany (all chapters)
May 3 Frank Lloyd Wright and 20th Century Architecture
Anti-urbanism and urban symbolism in the 20th century
Read: Ch. 16 in Jackson
Panel presentation papers due
Assessment of Recent Trends, including the “New Urbanism”
May 8 10:00-11:55 Final on lectures since 2nd exam; Jackson (Ch. 10-16), and Duany (all chapters) (Ch. 10-13) - 100 pts
Instructor: Judith Ann Trolander
Office: 257 ABAH (726-8271)
Email: jtroland@d.umn.edu
Office Hours: 11:00-1:45 Tues. and Thurs. and by appointment
Individuals who have any disability, either permanent or temporary, which might affect their ability to perform in this class are encouraged to inform the instructor at the start of the quarter. Adaptation of methods, materials, or testing may be made as required to provide for equitable participation.
Grades will be based on exams and the Urban Issues assignment. Total possible points are 370. To earn a C-, you must have 185 total points. Grades will be curved above that number, with the curve based on previous exams. To pass, you must earn a minimum of 123 points. A make-up exam session will be held towards the end of the semester for anyone who misses an exam. No make-ups earlier.
The website for this course is at: http://www.d.umn.edu/~jtroland
Also check your email for course information and updates.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this page are strictly those of the page author. The contents of this page have not been reviewed or approved by the University of Minnesota - Duluth.
Last date modified January 18, 2007
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