City in U.S. History
(History 382)

Jack Tager
University of Massachusetts/Amherst
Amherst, Massachusetts, USA

Spring 1990

SYLLABUS

Books

These texts are available at the annex and on reserve:
  • Callow, American Urban History 3rd ed. (AUH)


  • Riis, How the Other Half Lives.


  • Ellison, The Invisible Man.


  • Liebow, Tally's Corner.

2/6 -- Urban history and the urban crisis

  • AUH ix -Blumenfeld

2/8 -- Pre-industrial and modern cities

  • AUH i-Sjoberg

2/13-15 -- The small town

  • AUH ii-Warner, iii-Boorstin, vi-Rourke

2/22-27, 3/1 -- Industrialization-Urbanization

  • AUH iv-Lane, Barth, ix-Schwartz

3/6 -- 1st EXAM (30%) on all of the above

3/8 -- Results of urbanization

  • AUH vi-Ward, Handlin

3/13-15 -- Housing

  • Riis (all for mid-term 4/10)

3/27 -- Urban Renewal

  • AUH viii-Gans

3/29, 4/3 -- City Planning

  • AUH ix-Hancock

4/5 -- Architecture

4/10 -- 2nd EXAM (30%) from 3/8 on.

4/12-19 -- Bosses and reformers

  • AUH v-Merton, Callow (Tweed), O'Connor, Holli

4/24-26, 5/1 -- Rise of the black ghetto

  • Ellison-ALL,
  • AUH vi-Osofsky, vii-Lowe

5/3-10 -- Urban disorders

  • Liebow-ALL,
  • AUH vii-Janowitz, viii-Wilson

5/15 -- DISCUSSION ON LIEBOW AND ELLISON

FINAL: Take-home (40%) to be returned on Tues 5/22


This course requires extensive reading. It is up to the student to demonstrate mastery of ALL reading by providing specific examples on exams. Missing an exam without the instructor's' permission will result in course failure. make-ups will be given only to students with verifiable medical excuses. The instructor will be happy to meet with students during posted office hours.

(H07 honors 363779): After consultation with the instructor, students will read two additional books and write two book reviews).