AM ST 065/GUS 065  --   Philadelphia Neighborhoods

When people live in a city, they see the city as a whole through the eyes of their neighborhood. When we want to decide how well a city is doing as events change it, look to the neighborhoods and communities that make it up in order to say that things are "good" or "bad". So why not try to look at Philadelphia as it changes over time through the eyes of its neighborhoods?  From colonial times to the present, neighborhoods and communities were the primary means by which the city's residents experienced the growth and change of the Philadelphia metropolitan area. We know this because Philadelphia has a well preserved archival legacy -- written records, maps, sketches, prints, photos and both video- and audio archives as well. It is virtually unparalleled in its record of the past, and often has maintained a living history of its past in the buildings and historic houses of the city. We will use the many resources of the Internet to help introduce you to these treasures, and to encourage your further investigation of the intersection of the city's past and present landscape. Using archival resources, the rich historical legacy of the region's museums, and a series of the students' own investigations, people enrolled for this course will be able to explore the development of the city's neighborhoods and both their persistence and change over time.