New York City Emergence of an American Metropolis

Between the 1853 -Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations” and the 1939/1940 World’s Fair, New York City’s population grew from 500,000 to 7.8 million, and the United States evolved from a largely rural nation with an urban population of less than 15% to a quintessentially modern society whose population primarily lived in cities.Transnational developments such as the industrial revolution, urbanization, and immigration, as well as the impact of rapid technological progress, will form the backdrop of our exploration of this transitional era in American’s largest city. After tracing the city’s historical development, we will analyze issues and phenomena related to New York in the second half of the 19th and the first half of the 20th century: significant historical events, major socio-economic developments, and iconic architectural and infrastructural projects.In this class, we will relate the city’s historical backdrop to various representations of New York across the media, from poetry (Walt Whitman’s -Crossing Brooklyn Ferry”), comics (The Yellow Kid), and non-fiction (Jacob Riis’ How the Other Half Lives) to photography (Berenice Abbott’s Changing New York) and film (The Crowd). In our consideration of New York City from the Gilded Age to the ‘Roaring Twenties’ and the Great Depression, we will also deal with two (long) novels, William Dean Howell’s A Hazard of New Fortunes (1890) and John Dos Passos’ Manhattan Transfer (1925). Recommended Reading Please buy and start reading William Dean Howells, A Hazard of New Fortunes (ISBN 978-0140439236 ) and John Dos Passos, Manhattan Transfer (ISBN 978-0618381869 ) before the semester starts. Englisch, Ergänzungsstudiengang 3. Fach LA Gym. Reader – additional course material on StudIP Assessment Tasks – will be specified on the syllabus (StudIP) before the semester starts. Registration – StudIP 01.03. - 31.03.2015 Size Restriction – 25 Studiengänge – FüBA, MAAS, MEd LG, 3. Fach MEd LG Further Information –florian.gross@engsem.~AmerA, AAS2, AAS3 Universität Hannover SoSe 2015 Englisch, Bachelor (fachübergr.) (M. A.) Groß Florian M A