This course will address different forces that have shaped the cultural landscapes of the Bay Area, including settlement, the eugenics movement, immigration and immigration bans, policing, and politics of housing. We will be pairing a conversation around the historical formation of these forces with discussion of how oppressive structures have and continue to be contested by activism, organizing, and social movements. You will be engaging these topics through a variety of texts, ranging from academic articles to blog posts and documentaries. This course will consist of three research assignments on your chosen topic, with a final presentation and discussion facilitation in the last two weeks of class. By the end of this course you will have gained a broad understanding of some of the structural elements of the Bay Area’s cultural landscapes, and interrogated your personal positioning and responsibilities with respect to these structures.Social Science and History (SSHIS) courses develop students' critical thinking skills through the study of history and the social sciences (e.g. sociology, psychology, economics, political science, anthropology, geography), as well as through contemporary interdisciplines that draw heavily on these fields (e.g. feminist and queer studies, media studies, urban studies, ethnic studies). Subject matter in these courses contributes to students' cultural literacy while instructional materials and classroom assignments introduce basic research problems and techniques.

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