Mapping Cultural Space: Sites, Systems, and Practices Across Eurasia

The seminar will explore the significance of cultural space as both an object and a tool of analysis, taking as its focus Eurasia, an area of the world where political and cultural boundaries have been repeatedly reconfigured. Overlapping geographical-cultural interests will be brought together in the ‘mapping’ theme, as participants consider practices of mapping cultural space in different disciplinary modes, and examine mapping practices more generally as forms of cultural politics. “Cultural space,” in this understanding, denotes cultural defined zones, physical or virtual, geographical or imagined, that are produced, sustained, monitored, and contested by human practices. Assignments will include individual and collaborative work with digital tools for research, analysis, and presentation.

Irregular Format:
Students who enroll in this year-long bi-weekly course in the fall are expected to participate in the course over two semesters, fall 2014 and spring 2015, on Monday afternoons. Grades will be given at the end of the spring term. Students who will be graduating at the conclusion of the fall semester are not eligible for this course, nor is anybody who will be on leave in the spring. If a student attends the fall portion but not the spring, they will be withdrawn from the course.

Requirements/Prerequisites:
Commitment to urban historical and spatial research. Interest in the region, in interdisciplinary research and mapping. Some background an advantage.
Interested students should email/meet with the instructors.
Courses: Cities by Design; Buildings Texts Contexts, or equivalent
Recommended for PhD, DDes, MDesS, MAUD students as well as students in FAS.

Enrollment process:
Interested students should email instructors and explain their interest and background.

Limited enrollment: 15 total
Also offered as Slavic 270hf.