Lecturer(s)

Milou van Hout

Entry requirements 

This course is accessible for 2nd and 3rd year honoursstudents.

Objectives

Students will be able to:

• describe the relation between urban imaginaries and the wider context of debates on and challenges of diverse border cities, both in past and present, and from a variety of academic disciplines;
• describe and explain the construction of urban imaginaries and learn how to evaluate the use of one or more combined approaches in engaging with issues and challenges of processes of place-making and identity construction in border cities;
• choose an individual research theme and develop together with other students a research project that aims at evaluating various approaches of engaging with border cities. These research projects will be turned into an output product (an urban imaginary) that stimulates discussion outside the university about the challenges of border cities as discussed throughout this course.

Contents

Cities have historically been crucial sites where processes of identity-making and contestation are particularly visible. As places of encounter and of conflict, “cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody”, the urban activist Jane Jacobs once mentioned. City-makers of all forms - from policy makers and architects to artists and writers - foster our ideas of what a city is, by creating a wide range of urban imaginaries. They imagine and design cities, from the literary invisible city of the writer Italo Calvino, to European capitals of culture and smart cities. How do urban imaginaries and urban practices interact? It is one thing for a city such as Amsterdam to have a ‘multicultural and tolerant’ reputation carefully constructed by the municipality, but does this image offer concrete solutions for large flows of new migrants that are attracted by the flourishing city life?

In this course we will look into the ways in which various forms of urban imaginaries reflect upon and engage with processes of identity construction and place-making in border cities. We consider border cities as paradigmatic multi-spatial contexts where identity questions are not only particularly salient, but also lend themselves to novel conceptualizations of cultural difference and sameness. The course has a multi-disciplinary approach, exploring urban theories and imaginative practices that engage with themes as heritage and memory, multiculturalism and migration, European Capitals of Culture, political geographies, and future cities.

Throughout this course we will explore a variety of methods to ‘read’ the urban landscape and analyze the various techniques  and perspectives used by both cultural and literary actors, as well as by policy makers and citizens, to fashion urban imaginaries as a way to engage with the issues and challenges of the diverse border city in which they live, both in past and present. An important aim of this course, which will have the character of a research seminar, is to challenge the students to think of and to develop novel interdisciplinary conceptualizations and methods to engage with border cities. We will therefore work on ‘translating’ our research questions into a creative and accessible discussion for a wider audience.

Recommended prior knowledge

Because of the interdisciplinary character of this course, students are asked to actively bring up input and reflections from their own disciplinary training and interests to class.

In preparation to and during this course, students are encouraged to visit the cities’ program series of Pakhuis de Zwijger (www.dezwijger.nl). Their events dealing with the question ’who owns the city’ both offer a good insight into the current urban debates and can be used as inspiration for how to ’translate’ research questions into a creative and accessible discussion for a wider audience.

Teaching method

Seminars

Study materials

A reader containing a collection of articles and book chapters, which will be read on weekly basis, will be made accessible by the teacher.

Assessment and testing

Research project and presentation

Min/max participants

max.23

Schedule

Check Datanose for the exact information: https://datanose.nl/#course[62228]

Registration

Registration is possible for 2nd year (of higher) students participating in an Honours programme from 8 June 2017 10.00 till 12 June 2017 23.00 through the online registration form that will appear on Honoursmodules IIS.

Placement will be at random. If there are still spots open after the application deadline, students will still be able to register.

Remarks

After selection/registration for this course, students are requested to write a short statement on their motivation and expectations for this course.