HSOC-290: Urban Leviathans: Opulence

Urban Leviathans: Opulence, Struggle, and Squalor in the Majority World will explore 21st-century urban extremes, from the globalized metropolitan region to the almost schizoid characteristics of what we once called the "developing" or "third world" but must now refer to as the "majority world"--the fast-growing cities located in or situated near the 10/40 Window. This course will provide a wide range of understandings about the nature of "majority" cities including, but not limited to, a study of the ecological ramifications of urban growth, varied security issues, the complexities of urban life, and the politics of plunder keeping stable governments from taking hold. This course is important for Art Center students, because it can give them a better sense of the non-western city in a rapidly changing, globalized context; it should help students understand urban life and many of the political, ecological, and social struggles taking shape in this majority world that we often find easy to ignore.