Since at least the end of the nineteenth century, cities have been the dominant sites of political, intellectual, and artistic activity. These emphatically polyglot spaces, with the preponderance of mass media and incessant technological innovation, shape and reshape the lives of city dwellers, and provide the setting for both social action and cultural friction. Cities have given rise to social phenomena such as ethnic and cultural hybridity, migration, and a sense of alienation. The push and pull of the city generates ambivalent feelings, producing the characteristic mixture of fascination and repulsion which still permeates our thoughts on urbanity. To all these phenomena and moods, modern writers and filmmakers have responded by producing works which not only describe the cities in which they are set, but also inform how these urban spaces are experienced, navigated, and lived.
Module content note: Topics may include sexual assault, suicide, violence, torture (physical and mental), pornographic content, death or dying, miscarriages/abortion, racism and racial slurs, sexism and misogyny, classism, hateful language (e.g., Islamophobia, antisemitism), transphobia and trans misogyny, and homophobia and heterosexism. Please contact the module supervisor if you have any questions.