Formatting

• Write the question you are answering at the top of the paper. This will not count towards the total word count.
• All papers must be submitted as a Microsoft word document or pdf. Please do not submit a paper using Pages.
• Follow the following format. Times New Roman and 12-point font and double space.
• Type your name at the top of the paper. Ensure essay is paginated.
• No title page is required.
• Minimum of 1,500 to the maximum of 2,000 words. Please do not go over 2,000 words. Word count does NOT include bibliography.
• References )
  • Has at least four citations in total. This can include readings from the class and outside sources.
  • We prefer you rely primarily on class content (to the degree possible, considering the amount of class content available on a given topic).
  • It is okay to express opinions, but be sure to integrate supporting citations.
  • Please note that many of the articles in the syllabus do not have complete sources. Thus, no formal citation is required in this scenario. No worries, just cite the title and author. You will not be penalized for not properly citing coursework.
  • Use any formatting style (e.g. APA or Chicago style) as long as you are consistent. You can also cite YouTube videos with the URL link
  • Argumentation and Analysis
    • You will be assessed on your ability to argue and provide a thoughtful critical analysis. You should reference present day and historical examples or empirical studies to support your argument and analysis. Your writing should also be organized, grammatically correct, free from spelling and typing errors.

    Answer ONE of the following questions

  1. During the recent “urban unrest” many activists called for the “defunding of the police.” What does it mean to defund the police? Why do so many people oppose this demand? Why has this demand given rise to intense public disagreement? You might ask yourself the question can the police be reformed? Read the articles carefully assigned for week 8 also Alex Vitale’s video End of Policing is especially informative. Also, there are several other very good YouTube video interviews with Professor Vitale.

Topic: Policing the City or do Black Lives Matter?

Required Reading:

It’s Time to Disarm the Police by D.D. Guttenplan (Links to an external site.)

Videos: Alex Vitale on The End of Policing (URL is below)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfTHQI6fvKw (Links to an external site.)

No, the police cannot be reformed. w/ Professor Alex Vitale (URL is below)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBazDnubwwA

2. Today, in the USA, the richest 1 per cent own 34 per cent of the wealth and the richest 10 per cent own 74 per cent of the wealth. According to Robert Reich this inequality poses an existential threat to our democratic institutions. Do you agree? Why? Do you disagree Why? Provide examples how inequality or how the unequal distribution of wealth can pose a threat to democracy. YouTube has several videos clips on Robert Reich discussing this topic. You might want to selectively view some of these clips. Again, cite videos with URL.

Topic: Inequality

Required Reading:

1. Inequality in the United States by Robert Reich (Links to an external site.) download
2. 6 facts about economic inequality in the U.S. by Katherine Schaeffe (Links to an external site.)
3. Racism and the Economy Fed (Links to an external site.)
4. Film Video:

City Rising: The Informal Economy (URL below)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-3xUkz_MkA&t=23s

3. What is gentrification? Why is it such a complex and hotly debated topic from Berlin, London, New York to East Los Angeles? Lees in her video offers some solutions. Why is it so hotly debated and how can we stop it? However, many believe gentrification is a positive development in communities. According to the advocates of gentrification it can lead to improved economic development, lower crime rate, and an increase in property values, which benefits existing homeowners. Do you agree or disagree? What is your assessment of gentrification? Lees begins her lecture with a quote from Spike Lee who is a critic of gentrification. Check it out on YouTube and others if you wish.

Topic: Gentrification

Required Reading:

1. Gentrification by Loretta Lee
2. The historical Roots of Gentrification in Boyle Heights by Gilbert Estrada (Links to an external site.)
3. Who Benefits from Gentrification by Peter Dreier (Links to an external site.)
4. Gentrification, Social Justice, and Personal Ethics by Peter Marcuse (Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.)

Video: Gentrification and what can be done to stop it | Loretta Lees (URL below)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMz1x5_yF2Q

The Acuna article (Links to an external site.) and the Tobar article https://nyti.ms/1CHXYJr-–very short pieces)

4. Tell the Chavez Ravine story from the perspective of the families that were forced to leave their land and homes. Discuss the role of the city elites, the developers and ideological context of the era/period of political history. What did the “Red Scare” have to do with all of the above? Hint: Public Housing.

1）The Real Story – Chavez Ravine https://www.chavezravine.org/the-real-story.html

2) The Ugly, Violent Clearing of Chavez Ravine Before It Was Home To The Dodgers by Elina Shatkin https：//laist.com/news/entertainment/dodger-stadiu …

3）The Battle for Chavez Ravine by Andrew Martin https：//medium.com/sportsraid/the-battle-for-chave …

4）Video: Chavez Ravine: A Los Angeles Stor

Other Resources:

Topic: Housing in America

Required Reading:

1. The Not-So Hidden Truths About the Segregation of America’s Housing by Richard Rothstein (Links to an external site.)
2. The Permanent Crisis of Housing by Madden and Peter Marcuse (Links to an external site.)

Video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2roWLzrqOjQ

Topic: Poverty.

Required Reading:

A Class Analysis of Poverty by Erik Olin Wright (Links to an external site.)

Video:

Paycheck to Paycheck: A Documentary (URL is below)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ob9oGBbOQl0

opic: Urban Design and the Postcolonial City

Required Reading/Film:

1. Documentary: “Urbanized”

1. George, R. Varkki (1997). A Procedural Explanation for Contemporary Urban Design download. Journal of Urban Design, 2(2), 143-161.
2. Roy, Ananya (2019). Fishbowl City: Postcolonial Los Angeles and the philosophy of the urban download. In Banerjee, T. & Loukaitou-Sideris, A. (eds.) The New Companion to Urban Design.
3. Optional Reading:How to be an Anti-capitalist for the 21st Century by Erik Olin Wright (Links to an external site.) – Great read but an arduous one! Please do not get frustrated and take it slow.Erik died last year at the young age of 72! He was author of many books—check them out
4. Videos: Is another World Possible with Leo Panitch (URL is below) Leo Panitch recently died several months at the age of 75. Author of several books on radical political economy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Awbmj6uc0jI&t=392s

Topic: The Movement for Community Land Trusts in Los Angeles and Beyond

Required Reading:

1. Increasing Community Power and Health Through Community Land Trusts by Ashley Hernandez, Sandra McNeill and Yasmin Tong