Analyzing & Exploring the City: London

This course focuses on the development of one of the greatest global cities, London, from the nineteenth through to the twenty-first century and investigates the nature and implications of its 'globality' for its built environment and social geography. This includes an examination of how the city has been transformed by the forces of industrialisation, imperialism and globalisation and consider the ways in which London and its inhabitants have been shaped by their relationships with the rest of the world. Lectures, activities and field studies provide insight into London's changing identity as a world city, with a particular emphasis on analysis of the city's imperial, postcolonial and transatlantic connections; the ways in which past and present, local, and global intertwine in the capital; and comparative study of urban change worldwide. The course is organised chronologically: themes include the Victorian metropolis; London as an imperial space; representations of the city in media, film, and popular culture; multicultural London; London as a commercial centre of global capitalism; and the impact of the Olympics and other urban 'mega-events'.

Course is cross-listed with SOC345LHR.