HIST 396, Fall 2000
Section 06H, Thursday, 3-5:30 p.m., 238 Dumbach
Timothy J. Gilfoyle, Associate Professor of American History
This course examines the historical emergence of "world" or
"global" cities from a comparative perspective. Throughout
history, certain cities served as economic, social and cultural
command posts for wide and sometimes disparate territorial areas
of the world. Why did some cities dominate and exert power over
large regions of the world, far beyond their immediate
hinterlands? What are the historical origins of global cities?
Is this a recent phenomenon, as exemplified by cities like New
York, London, and Tokyo? Or did earlier forms of urbanization
exemplified by ancient Rome, early modern Venice, or precolumbian
Mexico exhibit similar patterns? What characteristics typify
"world" or "global" cities? The course examines urbanization
historically by focusing on the dominant cities in the Americans,
Europe, Asia and elsewhere at critical periods in the past.
The course requirements include one 15- to 20-page typewritten
essay (50%), an oral report (25%) and class participation (25%).
Essay, oral report and class participation guidelines are found
at the end of this syllabus. A primary responsibility of
students is to complete the weekly reading before the date of the
scheduled class and contribute their thoughtful, reflective
opinions in class discussion. The readings can be interpreted in
a variety of ways and students should formulate some initial
positions and questions to offer in the class discussion. For
every article or book, students should be prepared to answer all
of the questions found in the "Critical Reading" section of the
syllabus below. All required readings may be purchased at Barnes
and Noble on Sheridan Road. Students do not have to buy any of
the books since each one has been placed on reserve at Cudahy
Library.
Students who are disabled or impaired should meet with the
professor within the first two weeks of the semester to discuss
the need for any special arrangements. . 31 Aug.: Introduction
7 Sept.: Starting at the End
Saskia Sassen, The Global City: New York, London, Tokyo
(Princeton: Princeton Univ. Press, 1991).
14 Sept.: Globalization in the Ancient World
Mikhail Rostovtzeff (Elias J. Bickerman, ed.), Rome
(New York: Oxford Univ. Press, 1968, orig. 1927) chapters 1-4, 7-
9, 12-14, 17-22, 24-25.
Lewis Mumford, The City in History (New York: Harcourt
Brace and World, 1961), 205-48.
Also 14 Sept. (rain date 21 Sept.) - THE MIDNIGHT BIKERIDE -
Urban History in Chicago.
21 & 28 Sept.: Urbanization Born of Water
Frederick Lane, Venice: A Maritime Republic (Baltimore:
Johns Hopkins University Press, 1973).
Lewis Mumford, The City in History (New York: Harcourt
Brace and World, 1961), 321-28.
5 Oct.: Urbanization Born of Water II: The Dutch Randstad
John J. Murray, Amsterdam in the Age of Rembrandt
(Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1967), 2-19, 48-90.
Simon Schama, The Embarrassment of Riches: An
Interpretation of Dutch Culture in the Golden Age (New York:
Knopf, 1987), 1-11, 25-68.
Lewis Mumford,The City in History (New York: Harcourt
Brace and World, 1961), 439-45.
12 Oct.: London - Metropolis and Empire
"London" in Peter Clark and Paul Slack, English Towns in
Transition, 1500-1700 (New York: Oxford University Press,
1976), 62-81.
F.J. Fisher, "London as an 'Engine of Economic Growth'," in
J.S. Bromley and E.H Kossmann, eds., Britain and the
Netherlands in Europe and Asia (New York: St. Martin's Press,
1968; London: Chatto & Windus, 1960-64; The Hague, 1971), 3-16.
E. A Wrigley, "A Simple Model of London's Importance in
Changing English Society and Economy, 1650-1750," Past and
Present: A Journal of Historical Studies, 37 (July 1967).
Reminder: all History Majors should see their academic advisor
before registering for Spring Semester classes.
19 & 26 Oct.: Islam's Metropolis
Philip Mansel, Constantinople: City of the World's Desire,
1453-1924 (New York: St. Martin's, 1995).
2 Nov.: The Precolumbian City
Jonathan Kandell, La Capital: The Biography of Mexico City
(New York: Random House, 1988), 3-124.
Rene Millon, "Social Relations in Ancient Teotihuacan" in Eric
Wolf, ed., The Valley of Mexico: Studies in Pre-Hispanic
Ecology and Society (Albuquerque: University of New Mexico
Press, 1976), 205-248.
Richard A. Diehl, "Pre-Hispanic Relationships between the Basin
of Mexico and North and West Mexico" in Eric Wolf, ed., The
Valley of Mexico: Studies in Pre-Hispanic Ecology and Society
(Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1976), 249-286.
Edward E. Calnek, "The Internal Structure of Tenochtitlan" in
Eric Wolf, ed., The Valley of Mexico: Studies in Pre-Hispanic
Ecology and Society (Albuquerque: University of New Mexico
Press, 1976), 287-302.
9 Nov.: The Emergence of Modern Global Cities
Kenneth T. Jackson, "The Capital of Capitalism: The New York
Metropolitan Region, 1890-1940," in Anthony Sutcliffe, ed.,
Metropolis, 1890-1940 (London: Mansell; and Chicago:
University of Chicago Press, 1984), 319-354.
R.A. French, "Moscow, the Socialist Metropolis," in Anthony
Sutcliffe, ed., Metropolis, 1890-1940 (London: Mansell;
and Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1984), 355-380.
Shun-Ichi J. Watanabe, "Metropolitanism as a Way of Life: The
Case of Tokyo, 1868-1930," in Anthony Sutcliffe, ed.,
Metropolis, 1890-1940 (London: Mansell; and Chicago:
University of Chicago Press, 1984), 403-430.
16 Nov.: Oral reports
23 Nov.: Thanksgiving - No Class
30 Nov.: Oral reports; and Judith Crown and Greg Hinz, "W
ho Stole Chicago?" Crain's Chicago Business, 3 May
1999.
Discussion and class participation is an important part of
student evaluation (25 percent). Incisive, imaginative and
thoughtful comments that generate and facilitate discussion are
weighed heavily in final grades. Asking questions, responding to
student questions and contributing to an ongoing discussion are a
necessary part of the learning experience. Failure to speak in
class only lowers a student's final grade. Discussions take
place in every class period, each worth 2 "points." Students
will receive 0 points for nonparticipation, 1 point for minimal
participation, and 2 points for active participation. Students
who raise questions that generate discussion will earn extra
points.
The best ways to prepare for and contribute to class discussion
are: 1) complete the reading on time, and 2) critically analyze
the reading. The primary goal of critical reading is to identify
the author's interpretation and evaluate the evidence and
influences leading to that conclusion. Never assume a "passive"
position when reading a text. To fully comprehend and understand
any reading, ask the following questions:
1. What is the thesis of the author?
2. Does the author have a stated or unstated point of view? How
does the author construct their argument? Are the author's
goals, viewpoints, or agendas revealed in the introduction or
preface? Does the author provide evidence to support the
argument? Is it the right evidence? In the final analysis, do
you think the author proves the argument or does the author rely
on preconceived views or personal ideology? Why do you think
that?
3. Does the author have a moral or political posture? Is it
made explicit or implicit in the way the story is told? What is
the author's view of human nature? Does change come from human
agency and "free will" or broad socio-economic forces?
4. What assumptions does the author hold about society? Does
the author see society as hierarchical, pluralistic, democratic
or elitist? Does the author present convincing evidence to
support this view?
5. How is the narrative constructed or organized? Does the
author present the story from the viewpoint of a certain
character or group? Why does the author begin and end at certain
points? Is the story one of progress or decline? Why does the
author write this way?
6. What issues and events does the author ignore? Why? Can you
think of alternative interpretations or stories that might
present a different interpretation? Why does the author ignore
certain events or facts?
The essay requirement class serves several purposes. First,
good, thoughtful writing disciplines and educates the mind. To
write well, one must think well. If one's writing improves, so
does their thinking and intelligence. Second, students
personally experience on a first-hand basis some form of
historical writing. A research paper relying on primary sources
exposes students to the challenges, difficulties and even
contradictions of analyzing historical events. Ideally, students
will think more "historically" as a result of the exercise.
Third, the essay can later function as a writing sample for
students applying for future employment positions as well as to
graduate or professional school.
Students will choose one city and examine as many sources as
possible to explain its historical and "global" (if any)
importance. The essay should rely on both primary and secondary
sources. Examples of primary sources include (but are not
limited to) newspapers, diaries, letters, oral interviews, books
published during the period under study, manuscript collections,
and old maps. Secondary sources are what historians have written
about a subject. The essay (and related oral report) should
employ a MINIMUM of ten different sources.
The final essay should be the length of a standard scholarly
article (approximately 15-20 typewritten pages of text, plus
notes). Students should select a topic as soon as possible, in
consultation with the instructor. A preliminary bibliography
which includes books, articles, oral interviews, or other
possible sources should be completed and handed in by 1:30
p.m., Thursday, 21 Sept. 2000.
All essays should be typed. Students who complete the essay
early have the option to rewrite the paper upon its evaluation
and return (remember - the only good writing is good rewriting).
For students who wish to have the option of rewriting the essay,
TWO copies of the first draft of the essay should be in
the professor's possession by 2:30 p.m., Thursday, 2 November
2000. All other and rewritten essays are due at the last
class on 30 November 2000. On both dates, students should
submit TWO copies of the essay. Students who rewrite the
essay should also include the corrected first draft.
All final papers should be free of typographical errors,
misspellings and grammatical miscues. For every eight such
mistakes, the essay's grade will be reduced by a fraction (A to
A-, A- to B+, etc.). Essays are to be written for this class
ONLY. No essay used to fulfill the requirements of a past or
current course may be submitted. Failure to follow this rule
will result in an automatic grade of F for the assignment.
Extensions are granted automatically. However, grades on essays
handed in 48 hours (or more late) will be reduced by a fraction
(A to A-, A- to B+, etc.). Every three days thereafter another
fraction will be dropped from the paper's final grade.
The oral report constitutes 25 percent of the final grade.
Students will select a "world" or "global" city from the list
below which will serve as the subject of both their oral report
and essay. The oral report should last between 15 and 30
minutes, but ideally the report will generate a longer class
discussion. All oral reports should address the following
questions in some way:
What were the specific origins of the city?
What was the population of the city over time?
What economic forces contributed to the growth of the city?
How fast did the city grow economically and demographically?
How did that rapid growth compare with other contemporary
cities?
When was the "golden age" of the city?
What were the specific sources of the city's economic
development?
What role did technology play in the rise (and decline?) of
the city?
How far beyond the city's immediate hinterland did the city's
influence extend?
What characteristics made the city distinctive in the past and
present?
Did the city ever qualify as a "global" or "world" city? Why?
Why did the city decline?
Alexandria, Egypt, 332 B.C.-100 A.D.
Athens, Greece, 500-400 B.C.
Berlin, Germany
Chungan, China, 500-1000 A.D.
Dehli, India
Florence, Italy, 1000-1600 A.D.
Hong Kong, China
Jerusalem
Los Angeles, U.S.A.
Madrid, Spain
Mexico City, 1520-present
Paris, France
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
St. Petersburg, Russia
Sao Paulo, Brazil
Seoul, Korea
Shanghai, China
Singapore, Indonesia
Sydney, Australia
Vienna, Austria
(773) 508-2232
Office hours: Mon., 3:30-5:00 p.m. at 908 Lewis Towers;
Tues., 2:15-3:15 p.m., Thurs, 2:15-3:00 p.m., both in 511 Crown.
DISCUSSIONS AND CRITICAL READING
ESSAYS
ORAL REPORT
CITIES