HI 226: Cities and Culture

Fall 2025 – Betty Anderson

Cities have always been the centers for literary and scientific experimentation, educational expansion, and social entertainment.  Today, they are the epicenter for both political protest and neoliberal globalization.  A close examination of urban phenomena provide a window on to developments in culture, society, politics, economics, and the military.  This class visits cities around the world to examine 19^th century state and societal reforms; the unique organizational structure of colonial cities; the opening of social institutions, such as coffeehouses and theaters, that widened the public sphere; transformations initiated by arriving migrants; civil wars dividing cities; and ending with the far-flung connections tying 21^st century global cities together.

Instructor:

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  Betty S. Anderson

  Professor of History