GOVT 4232 - The Politics of the Inner City

(SBA-AS)

Spring. 4 credits. Student option grading.

J. Michener.

This course will examine the actors, institutions and processes that shape political life in urban areas. With a particular focus on poverty, we will assess the political roots and implications of the problems facing disadvantaged residents of the urban metropolis. Drawing on a diverse array of readings in political science and sociology, this course will bring an empirical and intellectual perspective to bear on salient and sometimes controversial topics that pervade public discourse about the “inner city.” Special emphasis will be placed on policies related to race, education, immigration, crime, gangs, gentrification, neighborhood context and homelessness.