Belong / Appartenir: Community, Race, and Space in the U.S. and France

Exactly where people live in cities - neighborhoods, blocks, even specific buildings - is no accident. We argue that it is a result of deliberate decisions that mark who we imagine as belonging (or not) in our cities. This course is a two-week conversation about perceptions of "belonging," and how they affect our cities and communities. We'll speak with researchers and residents. We'll explore film, television, photography that show representations of belonging and marginalization in the Historic West End of Charlotte and in the banlieues on the outskirts of Paris. The course will create opportunities for you to learn about your neighborhood and your city. As a way to explore the role of language in belonging, we will be offering different parts of the course in English and in French (providing translations).