Community & Initiative 3620-CI-SP-OG

Sociologists in the United States shaped their discipline as they were themselves shaped by 19th Century immigration and urbanization. This course on community highlights persistent preoccupations even as the immigrant experience has changed. Students will gain theoretical insights as they appreciate the cases of Chinese, Jewish, Polish, suburban, GI, Catholic, Black, Puerto Rican and gendered efforts in America’s cities to secure a stable foothold from which to strive individually and succeed collectively. Assessing the applicability of both classical and contemporary theory –especially as they relate to the situation in Poland today—will be essential work for students and faculty alike. Not only understanding Poland’s past experience with urbanization and settlement, industrialization and planning, but also recent, EU-inspired outmigration, circular migration as well as refugee resettlement place us alongside scholars shaping policy debates. These experiences reflect our own historical moment and our personal histories, thus our sociological imaginations. With opportunities to visit community sites in Warsaw, that connection can be even stronger.

Topics:
• Settlement
• Built Environment
• Interests
• Networks
• Institutions
• Collective Actions
• Individualism