san francisco in jell-o:

since we’re talking about photographic & other visual representations of the city, thought you might be interested in this piece by the artist liz hickok. http://www.lizhickok.com/portfolio_jello.html

image from her website, The City, 2005

Bennett Miller’s The Cruise, Wednesday, January 23

wr 110 – HHC 032 (2:30-3:50)

engl 103 – ENGR 274 (5-6:20)

sense of place:

Examine your own personal definitions of “a sense of place” and home. What gives you a “sense of place”? What defines “home” for you: geography, people, rituals, smells, foods, houses, etc? What do you love/dislike most about places; what do you connect with, what makes you feel at-home, what makes you feel estranged? How do specific places and/or spaces affect you, whether physical, artistic, abstract, etc? How is your identity linked to your “sense of place”? How does where you come from say something about who you are, about your sense of “home” in the world, about your identity?
[How does JBJackson define what creates a “sense of place” or “home” for people? Do you agree or disagree with his ideas; how and why? how do these ideas pertain to urban living?]

defining the urban:

What does the term “urban” mean for you? What were your 1st impressions of NYC? What has it been like to live here? What defines the city for you; what are the markers & symbols that create nyc’s image? In relation to other cities in which you’ve lived (or traveled through), what are the features of the city as a construct and lived being that draw you in or repel you, that make you feel at home or estranged, that create certain lifestyle choices? Discuss your experiences of living in nyc. What are your favorite neighborhoods and why? [how do white, kazin, abbey, didion, and schulman respond to nyc? which nyc do you identify with most (in these readings) & why?]

beginnings:

here’s a space for us to extend our discussion beyond the classroom re: our relationship to cities, experiences of New York City and other cities, and represenations of cities we read in literary & visual texts.