LIB 2205/ARCH 2205: LEARNING PLACES: UNDERSTANDING THE CITY
1 classroom hour, 4 lab/studio hours, 3 credits
Profs. Nora Almeida (Library) and Christopher Swift (Humanities)
My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground upon which I stand.
- Thich Nhat Hanh
Course Description: This special topics course offers an interdisciplinary approach to investigating our built environment using case studies of specific places in the city. This course combines physical examination with information research and data collection using methodologies developed in multiple disciplines. Students from a variety of departments engage in on-site exploration and in-depth research of a location in New York City.
Manifesto: The world is at a crisis point because of mismanagement of resources and the destruction of places. One significant reason is because western culture has become individualistic to a fault and addicted to consumption. We have lost the sense of concern for the well-being of other communities and environments. In this course we will develop awareness of the physical world, enrich our minds to appreciate the ways our urban environments have become sites of inequality and deterioration, envision a just and healthy future, and creatively advocate for revitalization.
Course Context: This course is an Interdisciplinary Liberal Arts and Sciences Course that applies toward the BTech/BS General Education Common Core College Option requirements. Prerequisites: ENG 1101 and any Flexible Core Course.
Course Materials:
You’ll need: a notebook and a camera to document site visits and between $20-30 for field trips.
Required readings are all free and accessible via Openlab. A password is required to access readings not available online.
Course Structure: This course combines a series of research seminars with fieldwork, site visits and documentation, and on and off campus research. A combination of individual and team assignments as well as class participation are the basis for the final grade. The culmination of the weekly assignments is a collaborative, scaffolded research/performance project.
Land Acknowledgement: We’d like to acknowledge that New York City is built on unceded land of the Lenape people–past, present, and future. We acknowledge that The New York City College of Technology is among the thousands of institutions and businesses in this city that were founded upon exclusions and erasures of indigenous people, including the Lenape who were displaced from this land. This acknowledgement demonstrates a commitment to beginning the process of working to dismantle the legacies of settler colonialism. During this course we will learn about, critically examine, and intervene in the conditions in which colonial politics and capital industry have thrived. (adapted from statement at: http://landacknowledgements.org/)
Assignments
Reading Responses (Notebook)
Students will capture observations and reflections in a notebook that is collected and graded at the end of the semester. Specific writing prompts related to readings and site visits will be discussed in class. In their notebooks, students should demonstrate their capacity to think critically, analyze texts, and synthesize course content.
Site Reports
Students will complete three site reports related to themes introduced in class. The reports will be completed after a visit to a specific site in New York City. Students will record observations about the site and respond to questions that require critical thinking. Students will also research social, demographic, or historical information about the site to deepen their understanding of the place and the social context in which it exists. Grading of site reports is based on: following directions and completeness (25%); clarity of writing and citation format (25%); depth of insight and specificity for site observations (25%); appropriateness of source and reflection on process of research (25%).
Final Project:
Annotated Bibliography
Use your annotated bibliography to record research conducted on the history of the selected issue, the place where the performance occurs, and performative strategies used. Include a minimum of 2 sources per group member. MLA format.
Performance Intervention
Working in teams, students will choose an urban location where a specific environmental, economic, or human rights issue needs addressing. First, students will identify the connection between the local man-made objects, technologies, and activities that threaten quality of human life and/or the natural world. Next students will compose a research question that will reveal information about the physical elements of the site and generate data related to inequalities and dangers. Using the archive of current and historic strategies and interventions for inspiration, students will create and participate in a live, public performance event that takes place at the site of investigation. In order to be successful, the performance must 1) be designed to ignite change, generate awareness of, or create a critical conversation about the misuse of resources and the environment and the resulting negative effects on human life and society, and 2) creatively incorporate these themes and the designed and natural elements of the site into the performance.
Consider: Who is your audience (those responsible for the misuse of place or those potentially affected by the misuse)? What is the specific goal of your performance (raise awareness, produce tangible change, inspire participation)? How can you use the materials and structures of the space in the performance to engage with the issues and your audience? What theatrical strategies and creative methods can you devise that will make your message impactful and memorable? What is each team member’s role in the performance and how do you collaborate effectively to utilize each person’s skills and produce a successful event? Finally, how do you encourage participation, either as part of the performance or after the event as actors in the social arena?
Documentation and OpenLab Project Site
Each group will create an OpenLab project site, containing an introduction to the project, a summary of research findings, an annotated bibliography and citations for all additional sources consulted, planning and promotional documents related to the performance event, documentation of the live event in the form of a photo essay, and anticipated outcomes of your performative intervention including the impact on audiences and the urban environment.
In-class Presentation
Each group will prepare a 20-25 minute presentation on their final project. You should display your work on OpenLab project site and discuss all the elements there. Every member of the group must participate in the presentation. Importantly, the presentation is a moment to conduct a reflection on the different stages of development, performance, and documentation. Think about the successes and shortcomings of the performance. Why were certain aspects successful and why did certain aspects fall short of expectations? What might you have done differently if you could do it again? The presentation is not about convincing the audience that the performance was a complete success. Rather, it is about showing that you can think critically about your own work.
Grading: Final grade will be determined according to the following grade weighting:
| 5% | Citizenship |
| 30% | Site Documentation Reports (3) |
| 10% | Notebook entries |
| 10% | Daily written reflections on reading |
| 15% | Final Project: Performance |
| 10% | Final Project: Annotated Bibliography |
| 10% | Final Project: OpenLab Project Site |
| 10% | Final Project: In-Class Presentation |
Note about Grading:
Profs. Almeida and Swift evaluate all grades together. Grades are posted on Blackboard.
Citizenship:
Citizenship means arriving to class on time and prepared, participating in large and small group discussions actively, attentively, and effectively, refraining from distracting or negative behavior in class, and consistently engaging and investing in the work of the course and in your own development as a researcher, writer, and thinker. Engage fully in the work. Collaborate willingly. Listen and adapt. Put your heart into the work. No phones in class!
Remember that there is only one important time and it is Now. The present moment is the only time over which we have dominion. The most important person is always the person with whom you are, who is right before you, for who knows if you will have dealings with any other person in the future? The most important pursuit is making that person, the one standing at your side, happy, for that alone is the pursuit of life.
― Leo Tolstoy, The Emperor’s Three Questions
Attendance Policy:
It is the conviction of Profs. Almeida and Swift that a student who is not in a class for any reason is not receiving the benefit of the education being provided. Missed class time includes not just absences but also latenesses, early departures, and time outside the classroom taken by students during class meeting periods. Missed time impacts any portion of the final grade overtly allocated to participation and/or any grades awarded for activities that relate to presence in class. Students who miss a scheduled presentation, field trip, or exam due to illness or medically-related emergencies will be referred to the Center for Student Accessibility. The CSA will review any documentation requested and give the student a letter to share with the relevant instructor if accommodations need to be made. The only kinds excused absence we will accept is one that comes from CSA.
CUNY Policy on Academic Integrity:
Students and all others who work with information, ideas, texts, images, music, inventions, and other intellectual property owe their audience and sources accuracy and honesty when using, crediting, and citing sources. As a community of intellectual and professional workers, the College recognizes its responsibility for providing instruction in information literacy and academic integrity, offering models of good practice, and responding vigilantly and appropriately to infractions of academic integrity. Accordingly, academic dishonesty is prohibited in The City University of New York and at New York City College of Technology and is punishable by penalties, including failing grades, suspension, and expulsion.
Accessibility and Accommodations:
City Tech is committed to supporting the educational goals of enrolled students with disabilities in the areas of enrollment, academic advisement, tutoring, assistive technologies and testing accommodations. If you have or think you may have a disability, you may be eligible for reasonable accommodations or academic adjustments as provided under applicable federal, state and city laws. You may also request services for temporary conditions or medical issues under certain circumstances. If you have questions about your eligibility or would like to seek accommodation services or academic adjustments, please contact the Center for Student Accessibility at 300 Jay Street room L-237, 718 260 5143, or http://www.citytech.cuny.edu/accessibility/
