Comparative Urban Politics: Madrid and New York
(3 credits)
This course will examine urban social movements focusing on the political differences and similarities between Madrid and New York. The comparative framework will be set through pre-program readings about social movements in general and in the United States in particular. Then we will examine urban politics in Madrid and New York from different angles, with an emphasis on neighborhood and citywide social movements. Even though American social movements become prominent during the 1960s, we will focus our review during the period from 1975 to the present; 1975 marks the end of the Francisco Franco dictatorship and the beginning of a transition to democracy in Spain. Classroom instruction will be blended with urban political ethnography exercises in some of Madrid's neighborhoods and plazas, a visit to Madrid's municipal museum, and meetings with social and political activists. We will watch urban-themed Spanish films through Ensemble Video on Blackboard as well as, if possible, in the distinctively urban way offered by Cine Doré, Filmoteca Española.