HIST3869

This course investigates urban history in the United States with a focus on the 20th century and on the role of race and ethnicity in shaping urban America. Using an array of scholarly texts, media, and primary source documents, we will trace the social, economic, and cultural history of U.S. cities and the growth of their suburbs. Topics will include: the formation of early-twentieth century immigrant/ethnic communities and the advent of neighborhood segregation; the Great Migrations of African Americans to the urban North and West; white flight, suburbanization, and urban economic decline after WWII; urban “crisis” and radical anti-racism in the 1960s and 70s; and gentrification, mass incarceration, and the rise of “Global Cities” toward the end of the century.

Race, Power, and Justice in the United States

Fall Odd Year