HIS 377 - Urban India

India has the second largest urban system in the world, with over a third of its population residing in cities. By 2025, it is expected that half of India’s population will be urbane. Urbanization has created manifold problems related to transportation, poverty, unemployment, unauthorized housing colonies, slums, and squatter settlements. Given that India has been dealing with hyper-modernization of its cities and fast-paced development, what might a study of cities in India be able to teach those who live in cities of the Global North? As the world becomes increasingly urbanized, the types of of metropolitan and urban centers we inhabit have also transformed dramatically-both in terms of form, as well as the reasons for their being. People once moved to cities in search of work and other opportunities, but in the 21^st century urbanization is usually associated with informal occupations and precarious modes of life in, such as slums.  This new way of living and surviving in cities across the world can be explained in a number of ways: assuming the decline of the industrial economy, the offshoring of work, the creation of network cities, and so-called “global cities.” This course addresses some of the promises and dilemmas of these alternative forms of life-on the edge of life and on the edge of profit and loss-through a number of cases, by focusing specifically on Indian cities.

This course will only be offered as part of the Semester in India Program. 

Students entering 2012 and after: satisfies the Historical Thought requirement.
Students entering before 2012: satisfies the History requirement.
Satisfies the cultural diversity requirement.