Public Art, Historical Preservation and the Ethics of Commemoration (PHIL B234)
Macalester Bell, BMC
Monday 12:10–3:00 p.m.
Philadelphia has the largest number of public artworks in the country, and it is also the first city in the nation to require that developers use a portion of their construction project for public art. Philadelphia is also a city of unique historical significance with many historical sites and memorials. In this course, we will take advantage of Philadelphia’s rich history and public art resources as we consider a number of philosophical questions about the nature of public art, political aesthetics, historical preservation, and the ethics of commemoration. Some of the questions we will consider include the following: What is public art? What is public space? What is the role of public art in a democracy? Does the fact that something is historically significant give us a reason to preserve it? Which historically significant things should we preserve and why? What is the moral value of commemorative art? How should we assess controversies surrounding the removal of art honoring persons or groups we now judge to be morally objectionable? How best should we memorialize victims of injustice?
We will approach the philosophical questions at the heart of this course using contemporary philosophical texts and case studies drawn from the public artwork and historic sites in Philadelphia. We will visit specific sites as well as community organizations devoted to public art and historical preservation. .
Epidemic City: Philadelphia from Yellow Fever to COVID-19 (HLTH H216)
Nicholas Bonneau, HC
Wednesday, 12:30-3:00 p.m.
Epidemics have long been fundamental forces shaping the experience of urban life in the United States; as such, they represent powerful lenses through which to explore pressing questions at the intersection of health and disease, urban politics and design, and the social and communal fabric of urban life. This course will examine the history of epidemic disease in American cities, with a focus on Philadelphia. Students will examine how Philadelphia and other American cities have responded to epidemic disease throughout history, and, in turn, how epidemic diseases have shaped urban space and urban life, considering such questions as: How have epidemics shaped residents’ experiences of their cities, neighborhoods, and communities? How have epidemics shaped—and been shaped by—racial, class, and gender inequalities? How have evolving medical ideas—from miasma theory to the bacteriological revolution—shaped cities’ responses to health crises? How has epidemic disease impacted urban architecture, infrastructure, and design? How have responses to epidemics led to the stigmatization of marginalized and immigrant communities, or to the pathologization of disfavored urban spaces? How have urban public health agencies, health activists, and community organizations shaped urban responses to epidemics?
The course will be organized around a series of historical case studies of epidemic disease in Philadelphia and other American cities. Each unit will also provide students with an opportunity to meaningfully engage with historical sites and institutions in Philadelphia, or with invited speakers and experts. Case studies may include the yellow fever epidemics of the 1790s; cholera, typhoid, and other “filth” diseases in the nineteenth century; polio and influenza in the early twentieth century; HIV/AIDS; and COVID-19. Site visits will include locations such as the Philadelphia Lazaretto, the American Philosophical Society Library, and the Mütter Museum of the College of Physicians. This course will be taught in Philadelphia as part of the Tri-Co Philly Program.
Environmental Justice: Ethnography, Politics, Action/Philadelphia (ENVS 035/SOAN 035)
Giovanna Di Chiro, SC
Tuesday, 12:00-3:00 p.m.
An introduction to the history and theory of environmental justice, an interdisciplinary field that examines how inequalities based on race, class, ethnicity, and gender shape how different groups of people are impacted by environmental problems and how they advocate for social and environmental change. This semester the course will be taught at the Philadelphia Friends Center and will concentrate on urban environmental justice issues and creative strategies for change in Philadelphia. Drawing on the work of scholars and activists from a wide variety of disciplines in the social sciences, natural sciences, and the arts & humanities, we critically examine the conceptual divisions between “nature and society,” “urban and rural,” and the“community and the planet.” We will analyze the history of the widely used concept of “sustainability” focusing on the diverse ways it has been embraced, transformed, and implemented in different cultural and urban contexts. We will investigate some of the challenges facing cities like Philadelphia as they implement sustainability initiatives and try to avoid “green gentrification” (sustainability improvements such as green buildings, eco-parks, and upscale farmers’ markets that increase property values, pricing out and displacing local, low-income residents). We will likewise explore the promise of urban areas as important centers for supporting the flourishing of diverse, equitable, and ecologically sustainable communities. Course incorporates a community-based learning component.
Friday 12:15-3 p.m. is an occasional meeting time for program students only