| ANTH 4775, 4775G Section 601, Fall 2004 | David Beriss |
| T, TH 4:30-5:45PM, LA 256 | Office: LA 281, Phone: (504) 280-6306 |
| Office Hours: T,Th 1:30-2:30pm or by appointment. | Email: dberiss@uno.edu |
Are cities the vibrant, vital centers of all that is exciting, new and provocative in modern life? Are they the decaying, decadent and dangerous remnants of an industrial age whose time has past? We live in an urban age, one in which the majority of people in most countries live in or near cities. Yet we also live in an age in which the very idea of urban life provokes images of alienation, fear and danger.
We will show how an anthropological approach can provide
unique - and uniquely useful - insights into life in contemporary
cities. Ranging over a wide variety of contexts, theoretical
perspectives and research methods and drawing on classic
ethnographies, detective novels and films, we will question the
meaning of "urban life" itself. How can we reconcile
theoretical perspectives developed to analyze ethnicity in
Chicago with Marxist criticism aimed at Berlin and Paris? Can
post-modern perspectives on the fortified enclaves of Sao Paulo
or Los Angeles help us make sense of life in Accra or Atlanta?
What insights can the analysis of the shopping strategies of
Londoners provide for the study of markets in Tokyo? How can we
use the critical tools developed in all these analyses to further
our own engagement in the lives, policies and politics of New
Orleans?
| Course Requirements | Required Texts |
| The Program (Links to most on line readings are here.) | Thinking Links |
| Discussion Forum | Supplemental Readings On-Line |
| Note: Discussion Forum and Readings require password. | You may need the Adobe Acrobat Reader to read these files,click here to get it. |
| Home |
|
UNO Anthropology |
|
http://fs.uno.edu/dberiss/urban/
Revised 8/25/04