*FOR FALL 2020, THIS 458.003 COURSE WILL COUNT AS A DAAS-In-ACTION COURSE REQUIRED FOR THE NEW DAAS MAJOR OR MINOR.* This course is a rare opportunity to engage Detroit simultaneously from theoretical and practical perspectives, from the perspectives of music history, social history, architectural history, cultural anthropology, literature, and film… We will read, we will write, and we will learn how to make films with the help of an award winning filmmaker from Berlin. We will approach Detroit from the perspectives of race, gender, sexuality, democracy, urbanization, suburbanization, industrialization, de-industrialization, emergency management, and the future. In thinking about the future, we will think about the extent to which Detroit is representative of American and other urban futures, and to what extent is the exception. We will also examine Detroit's place in the world. How does it compare to Mumbai in India, Johannesburg in South Africa, and how does it compare to Berlin in Eurpoe? Finally, we will work with a group of young people who live in and are growing up in Detroit. We will learn not only how to see Detroit from their perspectives, but also how to collectively produce films about it. The course will end in public screenings in Ann Arbor and Detroit.

Class Format:

My online class will meet synchronously at its currently scheduled time.