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.

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