Students:
I apologize for the lack of communication, but this week's readings for Gottlieb are CHs 8 & 9. You WILL be responsible for them on the final, as reflected in the essay choice on the study guide:
4. Robert Gottlieb (2007) Reinventing Los Angeles: Nature and Community in the Global City proposes a new strategy for social and environmental change that involves reframing and linking the movements for environmental justice and pollution prevention. According to Gottlieb, the environmental movement's narrow conception of environment has isolated it from vital issues of everyday life, such as workplace safety, healthy communities, and food security, that are often viewed separately as industrial, community, or agricultural concerns. This fragmented approach prevents an awareness of how these issues are also environmental issues. What does Gottlieb argue should be done to broaden this narrow conception; be specific (e.g., what does he say regarding nature and the community in the city, transportation and sprawl, food systems, globalization and imperial reach, or immigration). In presenting Gottlieb's positon weigh in with your own scholarly perspective. Don't just restate Gottlieb's views, hold them up to critical scrutiny. In other words, provide a reveiw of his ideas using knowledge you picked up in USP2 (cite your sources).
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Reading Questions for Week 7
Students:
Here are the questions we will use in today's discussion. I hope they are helpful for you in preparing for the final exam as well.
-Andrew
GROUP 1
Scott, A.J. et al. “Global City-Regions” (2001).
(p11, the first page)
What do the authors mean by global city-region?
• Why do the authors use it instead of the city?
• What did scholars expect globalization to do to city-regions? What happened instead, and why?
(pp 15-18)
What are the economic benefits of city-regions? Or, why are city-regions the “motor force” of the world economy”?
(pp 18-21)
What are the three main effects that globalization has had on the “social geography” of global city-regions?
( pp27-8)
What are the two challenges that the increasing importance of city-regions, and declining importance of nation-states, pose to traditional notions of democracy & citizenship?
**Do you see any of these issues raised here in our city-region?
GROUP 2
Soja, E. W. “Economic restructuring and the internationalization of the Los Angeles region.” (1987).
I. Key terms on pp 178-9:
Restructuring:
What is its general definition?
What is its sequence?
What is it rooted in, and what is it a conflict between?
What is it NOT?
Internationalization:
What are the 2 definitions?
Does Soja’s argument about how restructuring and internationalization go with the argument made by Castells? Why or why not?
II. Three pairs of relationships
Soja spells out three paired relationships that together depict the underlying and often contradictory dynamic of contemporary urban and regional restructuring:
i. deindustrialization and reindustrialization (pp 181-5)
*Define these processes and give examples of industries experiencing each
ii. geographic decentralization and recentralization (pp 185-91)
*Define these processes and give examples of each [can skip historical section of decentralization on p 186]
iii. the peripheralization of labor and the internationalization of capital
*Define and give examples of each
GROUP 3
Yin & Wang “China’s urban environmental sustainability” 2000
(questions taken from pp. 155-159 of the article)
• What do the authors say about urbanization and rising levels of consumption in China?
• What does this mean (I = P x A x T) ?
• How are urbanization, incomes, and consumption linked? Remember Rees & Wackernagel!
• What challenges does this pose for China to achieve sustainability?
(pp. 170-2 of the article)
• What positive signs suggest China’s commitment to sustainable development?
• What challenges remain for China to carry out its strategy for sustainability?
Here are the questions we will use in today's discussion. I hope they are helpful for you in preparing for the final exam as well.
-Andrew
GROUP 1
Scott, A.J. et al. “Global City-Regions” (2001).
(p11, the first page)
What do the authors mean by global city-region?
• Why do the authors use it instead of the city?
• What did scholars expect globalization to do to city-regions? What happened instead, and why?
(pp 15-18)
What are the economic benefits of city-regions? Or, why are city-regions the “motor force” of the world economy”?
(pp 18-21)
What are the three main effects that globalization has had on the “social geography” of global city-regions?
( pp27-8)
What are the two challenges that the increasing importance of city-regions, and declining importance of nation-states, pose to traditional notions of democracy & citizenship?
**Do you see any of these issues raised here in our city-region?
GROUP 2
Soja, E. W. “Economic restructuring and the internationalization of the Los Angeles region.” (1987).
I. Key terms on pp 178-9:
Restructuring:
What is its general definition?
What is its sequence?
What is it rooted in, and what is it a conflict between?
What is it NOT?
Internationalization:
What are the 2 definitions?
Does Soja’s argument about how restructuring and internationalization go with the argument made by Castells? Why or why not?
II. Three pairs of relationships
Soja spells out three paired relationships that together depict the underlying and often contradictory dynamic of contemporary urban and regional restructuring:
i. deindustrialization and reindustrialization (pp 181-5)
*Define these processes and give examples of industries experiencing each
ii. geographic decentralization and recentralization (pp 185-91)
*Define these processes and give examples of each [can skip historical section of decentralization on p 186]
iii. the peripheralization of labor and the internationalization of capital
*Define and give examples of each
GROUP 3
Yin & Wang “China’s urban environmental sustainability” 2000
(questions taken from pp. 155-159 of the article)
• What do the authors say about urbanization and rising levels of consumption in China?
• What does this mean (I = P x A x T) ?
• How are urbanization, incomes, and consumption linked? Remember Rees & Wackernagel!
• What challenges does this pose for China to achieve sustainability?
(pp. 170-2 of the article)
• What positive signs suggest China’s commitment to sustainable development?
• What challenges remain for China to carry out its strategy for sustainability?
Sunday, January 25, 2009
2
Students:
As you can see, the readings for Professor Pezzoli's book have re-appeared for Week 4. But this is a lot of reading to get done, so I encourage you to use the INDEX of his book to help zero in on what's important. That will help you save a good deal of time, and prevent you from trying to remember everything he discusses, which is a lot.
Secondly, I see that only one person has posted to the class blog about the midterm study guide. Today I will be putting up your feedback from last week's section in terms of what you want to see. But if there's something you do not want to see post it! Professor Pezzoli really will take it off. Remember, you have to do this by next Tuesday.
Keep up with, and complete all readings [but of course stay focused on what the weekly notes say are important]. This week's readings are the last you have to do before the midterm, which gives you a whole week to review!
As an FYI, next week--week 5--YOU will be required to drive the review session. You will have to bring in questions as I will have nothing prepared, per my usual style. As this is the day before the exam, this should not be a problem.
Best of luck
Andrew
As you can see, the readings for Professor Pezzoli's book have re-appeared for Week 4. But this is a lot of reading to get done, so I encourage you to use the INDEX of his book to help zero in on what's important. That will help you save a good deal of time, and prevent you from trying to remember everything he discusses, which is a lot.
Secondly, I see that only one person has posted to the class blog about the midterm study guide. Today I will be putting up your feedback from last week's section in terms of what you want to see. But if there's something you do not want to see post it! Professor Pezzoli really will take it off. Remember, you have to do this by next Tuesday.
Keep up with, and complete all readings [but of course stay focused on what the weekly notes say are important]. This week's readings are the last you have to do before the midterm, which gives you a whole week to review!
As an FYI, next week--week 5--YOU will be required to drive the review session. You will have to bring in questions as I will have nothing prepared, per my usual style. As this is the day before the exam, this should not be a problem.
Best of luck
Andrew
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Reading Questions for Week 2
Students:
Since there's not much on the Week 2 guide on the Gottlieb book, here are some questions for you to consider. At the bottom of this post are questions related to the Reader's readings.
Introduction
What are the two components Gottlieb outlines with respect to LA as a "global city"? Are these components related, in tension, or both?
Regarding "scholarship of engagement" (9), what is the hybrid model that the author outlines? How does it differ from being either a 'traditional academic' and an 'inside actor'? How has he institutionalized this at Occidental? Is something like this on UCSD, and if not, why?
What are some of the similarities Gottlieb sees between LA's history of water/rivers and freeways? (10-12)
What does "culture of nature" mean? What idea of nature did the Sierra Club have, and what alternative visions are there?
What is the author's idea about "reinvention"? How does reinvention relate to our class themes of globalization, sustainability, and urban planning?
Chapter 1
I know this may be getting abstract, but take some time to think about the meaning of "nature." Try to get your head around Gottlieb's point that environmental groups--whether the Sierra Club or urban environmental justice groups--have often divided society or humans from nature. Yet he's arguing for something different, to see past that divide. By so doing, he questions the very concept of what is "natural." Are cities natural? They are from this second perspective. What are the potential effects of thinking about cities are natural places?
Why does the author suggest that a politics that divides nature from humans/society is doomed to never protect our environment?
Hint: (23) How have government and industry groups co-opted the use of environmental discourse to justify their projects? How do even academic concepts like 'footprints' use this divide?
In what ways does political ecology respond to these earlier ideas that separated society and nature? What does it mean to integrate "non-humans" into politics?
What trends in recent history does Gottlieb suggest affected our ideas about nature as separate from cities? How is rethinking the relationship between cities and nature crucial to "reinventing Los Angeles" [and really, all cities]?
Hint: think about capitalism and the market, industrialization, urbanization, etc.
Skim through his history of LA--but keep an eye out for the differences and similarities he sees in all of LA's urban zones [wealthy edge suburbs, inner suburbs, and the urban core] with respect to the environment.
How have environmental groups from different racial and class backgrounds converged over the shared desire to remake the core of LA? (34-5)
Skim 36-49
Again, try to wrap your head around the perspective that there IS NO SUCH THING AS A NATURAL DISASTER! All so-called natural events are always thoroughly social and involve human activity, whether LA earthquakes or hurricane Katrina.
Last, how does a political ecology perspective inform ideas such as Livability and Livelihood? How are these more durable and politically-meaningful representations than nostalgia and health-related relationships to nature?
Gleeson and Low
SKIM until p18--but focus especially on their treatment of neo-liberalism. What is this ideology? What does it have to say about globalization?
**Try to make linkages among the readings: how does their argument about Environmental Distribution connect to Gottlieb's argument about outdated views of nature & society?
Hint: think of their example of Laura Pulido's work--how can certain forms of environmentalism actually INCREASE ecological disparities? How is first-third world environmental relations a form of globalization?
What SCALE of politics do the authors suggest is necessary to deal with contemporary economic/environmental risks? Hint, look at the mentions of Beck's work and the very real trade in toxic and other wastes.
How do the authors argue that capitalism itself is among the "deeper causes of unsustainability"? What is their point about how the increasing urbanization of the world's population requires a fundamentally different approach to environmental politics? (21-2)
PEZZOLI, HUMAN SETTLEMENTS
Please--SKIM this book--and use the very helpful and succinct questions put forth by Professor Pezzoli to help you focus on the key passages you need from his book.
And of course use the pictures to help get a sense of what's going on!
GRIMM ET AL
**Strive to make connections among your readings: how is the "urban ecology" perspective in this article in harmony with the political ecology approach advocated by Gottlieb?
For example, how can we think about cities AS ecosystems? What are some examples?
How are cities "microcosms" of larger scale changes occurring now? What are some examples?
[hint--fragmentation & edges]
REES AND WACKERNAGEL
How is industrialization linked to urbanization?
Know the following terms: ecological footprint, carrying capacity, load, overshoot, sustainability gap
How is consumption and density, rather than population alone, key factors in determining the Earth's human load? What does this suggest about how we might "reinvent" our cities?
But don't forget the very important critique offered by Gottlieb of the footprint concept. How does it continue to posit humans/cities/society as outside of or apart from nature/the environment?
Since there's not much on the Week 2 guide on the Gottlieb book, here are some questions for you to consider. At the bottom of this post are questions related to the Reader's readings.
Introduction
What are the two components Gottlieb outlines with respect to LA as a "global city"? Are these components related, in tension, or both?
Regarding "scholarship of engagement" (9), what is the hybrid model that the author outlines? How does it differ from being either a 'traditional academic' and an 'inside actor'? How has he institutionalized this at Occidental? Is something like this on UCSD, and if not, why?
What are some of the similarities Gottlieb sees between LA's history of water/rivers and freeways? (10-12)
What does "culture of nature" mean? What idea of nature did the Sierra Club have, and what alternative visions are there?
What is the author's idea about "reinvention"? How does reinvention relate to our class themes of globalization, sustainability, and urban planning?
Chapter 1
I know this may be getting abstract, but take some time to think about the meaning of "nature." Try to get your head around Gottlieb's point that environmental groups--whether the Sierra Club or urban environmental justice groups--have often divided society or humans from nature. Yet he's arguing for something different, to see past that divide. By so doing, he questions the very concept of what is "natural." Are cities natural? They are from this second perspective. What are the potential effects of thinking about cities are natural places?
Why does the author suggest that a politics that divides nature from humans/society is doomed to never protect our environment?
Hint: (23) How have government and industry groups co-opted the use of environmental discourse to justify their projects? How do even academic concepts like 'footprints' use this divide?
In what ways does political ecology respond to these earlier ideas that separated society and nature? What does it mean to integrate "non-humans" into politics?
What trends in recent history does Gottlieb suggest affected our ideas about nature as separate from cities? How is rethinking the relationship between cities and nature crucial to "reinventing Los Angeles" [and really, all cities]?
Hint: think about capitalism and the market, industrialization, urbanization, etc.
Skim through his history of LA--but keep an eye out for the differences and similarities he sees in all of LA's urban zones [wealthy edge suburbs, inner suburbs, and the urban core] with respect to the environment.
How have environmental groups from different racial and class backgrounds converged over the shared desire to remake the core of LA? (34-5)
Skim 36-49
Again, try to wrap your head around the perspective that there IS NO SUCH THING AS A NATURAL DISASTER! All so-called natural events are always thoroughly social and involve human activity, whether LA earthquakes or hurricane Katrina.
Last, how does a political ecology perspective inform ideas such as Livability and Livelihood? How are these more durable and politically-meaningful representations than nostalgia and health-related relationships to nature?
Gleeson and Low
SKIM until p18--but focus especially on their treatment of neo-liberalism. What is this ideology? What does it have to say about globalization?
**Try to make linkages among the readings: how does their argument about Environmental Distribution connect to Gottlieb's argument about outdated views of nature & society?
Hint: think of their example of Laura Pulido's work--how can certain forms of environmentalism actually INCREASE ecological disparities? How is first-third world environmental relations a form of globalization?
What SCALE of politics do the authors suggest is necessary to deal with contemporary economic/environmental risks? Hint, look at the mentions of Beck's work and the very real trade in toxic and other wastes.
How do the authors argue that capitalism itself is among the "deeper causes of unsustainability"? What is their point about how the increasing urbanization of the world's population requires a fundamentally different approach to environmental politics? (21-2)
PEZZOLI, HUMAN SETTLEMENTS
Please--SKIM this book--and use the very helpful and succinct questions put forth by Professor Pezzoli to help you focus on the key passages you need from his book.
And of course use the pictures to help get a sense of what's going on!
GRIMM ET AL
**Strive to make connections among your readings: how is the "urban ecology" perspective in this article in harmony with the political ecology approach advocated by Gottlieb?
For example, how can we think about cities AS ecosystems? What are some examples?
How are cities "microcosms" of larger scale changes occurring now? What are some examples?
[hint--fragmentation & edges]
REES AND WACKERNAGEL
How is industrialization linked to urbanization?
Know the following terms: ecological footprint, carrying capacity, load, overshoot, sustainability gap
How is consumption and density, rather than population alone, key factors in determining the Earth's human load? What does this suggest about how we might "reinvent" our cities?
But don't forget the very important critique offered by Gottlieb of the footprint concept. How does it continue to posit humans/cities/society as outside of or apart from nature/the environment?
Friday, January 9, 2009
How to use the class website
Students:
I just wanted to add a quick post to clarify what I said in section.
There are 2 ways to get to the readings for a given week:
1. You can look at the Syllabus page. This is complete for the entire quarter.
2. You can look at the Weekly Notes page. But as you can see, the page for Week 2 is not built yet.
As I said in section, come to class prepared to discuss Week 2's readings! Remember, you have summaries of the readings for Week 1, so use the questions and other summary materials to guide your reading. This should help focus and lighten the reading burden.
I will also post some points about Prof. Pezzoli's book. I realize he assigned a lot of pages from his book, so for now put that last on your reading list, and look to this space, or Week 2 Notes for help from Prof P on what's key from Parts 1 & 2.
Finally, I've started the Gottlieb book, and I hope you enjoy his personal writing style. I know many of you are from LA, so I expect you to have more than just academic reactions to his ideas!
I just wanted to add a quick post to clarify what I said in section.
There are 2 ways to get to the readings for a given week:
1. You can look at the Syllabus page. This is complete for the entire quarter.
2. You can look at the Weekly Notes page. But as you can see, the page for Week 2 is not built yet.
As I said in section, come to class prepared to discuss Week 2's readings! Remember, you have summaries of the readings for Week 1, so use the questions and other summary materials to guide your reading. This should help focus and lighten the reading burden.
I will also post some points about Prof. Pezzoli's book. I realize he assigned a lot of pages from his book, so for now put that last on your reading list, and look to this space, or Week 2 Notes for help from Prof P on what's key from Parts 1 & 2.
Finally, I've started the Gottlieb book, and I hope you enjoy his personal writing style. I know many of you are from LA, so I expect you to have more than just academic reactions to his ideas!
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Welcome to USP2
Students:
Greetings and welcome to USP2. I am Andrew, your TA. This is my fourth time TAing for this course, and the second time for Professor Pezzoli, so please feel free to use me as a resource.
My office hours are from 2-3pm Wednesday afternoons at the Grove Cafe. The Grove is in Student Center B [Old Student Center] between the Crafts Center and the Bike Shop.
As you can see from the class syllabus, Section is worth 10% of your grade. For my classes, your grade will be determined by attendance. This means that you must attend all 10 sections to earn all 10 points. Attendance is taken by a sign-in sheet which will be passed around at the beginning of section. You must sign yourself in each week, no exceptions. You are allowed to miss one section without an excuse. If you have more than one unexcused absence, you will receive a zero for your section grade, not exceptions. Exceptions are of two kinds: if you know you have a conflict, let me know IN ADVANCE and we will work something out. Or, if you have an emergency situation, contact me AFTERWARD as soon as possible and we will work it out.
Section is a time where we will discuss class readings, connect them to themes discussed in lecture, and hopefully link them to experiences you've had in your lives as well. So do the week's readings BEFORE you come to section so you ARE READY TO DISCUSS them!
When you are reading, keep in mind that you already have many resources available to you online from Professor Pezzoli. And I realize that there is a heavy reading load--so adjust your approach to your reading: DO NOT attempt to memorize the details of every paragraph, but seek to identify and understand the main argument of and key evidence used by each article or book chapter assigned to you. This will help you to not only manage the reading load, but to develop critical reading skills.
I'd also like to say a word about the nature of this class. From the title The Urban World System, I hope you can tell that we are going to ask big questions and deal with gigantic subjects. This class presents an overview of global processes of urbanization, capitalism, and sustainability, so keep your head open to such large subjects. Moreover, we will be consistently dealing with inequality on a global scale, so no matter how meager your family's circumstances may be, be mindful of how the "other half" lives: on less than 1$ a day, without access to clean water-medicine-education-secure housing, and often threatened by war and disease. Tackling these problems requires big thinking, so don't shy away from that task.
Finally, this blog is a space open to you all as well. Send me an email at acheyne@ucsd.edu if you'd like to participate, and I'll add you as an author.
Good luck, and I'll see you in class.
Andrew
Greetings and welcome to USP2. I am Andrew, your TA. This is my fourth time TAing for this course, and the second time for Professor Pezzoli, so please feel free to use me as a resource.
My office hours are from 2-3pm Wednesday afternoons at the Grove Cafe. The Grove is in Student Center B [Old Student Center] between the Crafts Center and the Bike Shop.
As you can see from the class syllabus, Section is worth 10% of your grade. For my classes, your grade will be determined by attendance. This means that you must attend all 10 sections to earn all 10 points. Attendance is taken by a sign-in sheet which will be passed around at the beginning of section. You must sign yourself in each week, no exceptions. You are allowed to miss one section without an excuse. If you have more than one unexcused absence, you will receive a zero for your section grade, not exceptions. Exceptions are of two kinds: if you know you have a conflict, let me know IN ADVANCE and we will work something out. Or, if you have an emergency situation, contact me AFTERWARD as soon as possible and we will work it out.
Section is a time where we will discuss class readings, connect them to themes discussed in lecture, and hopefully link them to experiences you've had in your lives as well. So do the week's readings BEFORE you come to section so you ARE READY TO DISCUSS them!
When you are reading, keep in mind that you already have many resources available to you online from Professor Pezzoli. And I realize that there is a heavy reading load--so adjust your approach to your reading: DO NOT attempt to memorize the details of every paragraph, but seek to identify and understand the main argument of and key evidence used by each article or book chapter assigned to you. This will help you to not only manage the reading load, but to develop critical reading skills.
I'd also like to say a word about the nature of this class. From the title The Urban World System, I hope you can tell that we are going to ask big questions and deal with gigantic subjects. This class presents an overview of global processes of urbanization, capitalism, and sustainability, so keep your head open to such large subjects. Moreover, we will be consistently dealing with inequality on a global scale, so no matter how meager your family's circumstances may be, be mindful of how the "other half" lives: on less than 1$ a day, without access to clean water-medicine-education-secure housing, and often threatened by war and disease. Tackling these problems requires big thinking, so don't shy away from that task.
Finally, this blog is a space open to you all as well. Send me an email at acheyne@ucsd.edu if you'd like to participate, and I'll add you as an author.
Good luck, and I'll see you in class.
Andrew
Monday, July 28, 2008
Maquilapolis
Thanks for that excellent post about the MSN, they've become really active and are an inspiring organization.
Here is a link to a film entitled "Maquilapolis", which sounds many of the themes of the film on Ciudad Juarez/El Paso, but is about Tijuana/San Diego. It connects a number of issues, from toxic chemical leaks during rainstorms into workers' pueblos neighborhoods, the insane monotony of factory-assembly work, women's labor organizing, globalization, and the list continues.
http://www.maquilapolis.com/
Here is a link to a film entitled "Maquilapolis", which sounds many of the themes of the film on Ciudad Juarez/El Paso, but is about Tijuana/San Diego. It connects a number of issues, from toxic chemical leaks during rainstorms into workers' pueblos neighborhoods, the insane monotony of factory-assembly work, women's labor organizing, globalization, and the list continues.
http://www.maquilapolis.com/
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