This seminar will examine "The Problem of Cornerville" (Boston's North End) as formulated by William Foote Whyte in his 1943 ethnography Street Corner Society: The Social Structure of an Italian Slum. In the process we will explore a variety of topics including immigration policy and history, the early Progressive movement, 'slumming,' urban sociology, theories of crime and deviance, racial formation, and gentrification. Effective Spring 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Research and Information Literacy.