Course Description
Understanding realities of contemporary crime in the US can be confusing (and misleading) due to the myths and politics that have come to inform our perspective. In this accessible five-week course taught by University of Arizona cultural geographer Stefano Bloch, we will learn about the realities and geographical context of crime and policing in a way that provides critical understanding, not the perpetuation of popular assumptions. As an expert on gangs, graffiti, and urban development, Professor Bloch will discuss neighborhood-based criminality and criminalization, while also focusing on how processes of urban development such as redlining, suburbanization, and gentrification effect our perception of criminal activity, from small-scale disorder to high-level street violence. Students will complete this course with an understanding of historical crime trends, crime statistics, and the ability to see how the city is not simply a container for crime, but a co-creator of what constitutes crime and how it is policed.
Course Format
Registered community members will meet with Professor Block in five live online sessions on the following Mondays from 5 to 6:30 PM: October 18, 25, November 1, 8 and 15.