Final Essay

Final Exam: Contentious Cities Introduction to Urban Studies (UPPP 4)

Directions: All students are required to choose between one of the following two essay options. Please identify which option (Option 1 or Option 2) on the title page. We are assessing your knowledge of course materials for weeks 1 to 10 (lectures, readings, media). You are expected to use as many readings as possible to support your answers. Do not use more than two direct quotations. And do not use reading materials that were not assigned in the class. Answers should be one to two pages long (double space, 12-point font and 1-inch margins) and include a separate title page and bibliography. The paper cannot exceed two pages (this does not include the title page and bibliography). Citations and referencing should use standard formats (e.g. MLA or APA).1 Please submit only in MS Word or PDF file formats (not Pages or Google Docs). Your answers must be written in a standard essay format consisting of a short introduction (with a thesis statement), supporting paragraphs, and a short conclusion. The essay must address all three questions within each option. Due Wednesday, December 16 at 9.00 p.m. through Canvas. The final is worth 100 points. 10 points will be deducted for papers turned in within 24 hours after the deadline. Essays will not be accepted more than 24 hours after the deadline. Submit your papers at least two hours before the official deadline. This will help prevent last minute glitches. Option 1: Politically Contentious Cities This quarter has focused on the qualities that make cities unique environments. While these environments are riven by inequalities and problems, they also facilitate the formation of contentious political groups seeking equality.

1. What are the specific economic factors (i.e. jobs, inequalities, housing, etc.) that have worsened the lives of low-income immigrants in US cities?

2. How have politics worsened conditions for immigrants in the United States?

3. Describe the process through which immigrants in Los Angeles formed an and important social movement.

1 https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/2/

Option 2: Culturally Contentious Cities The class has explored the idea that cities are incubators of contentious cultural groups. This set of questions addresses this broad issue through the case of punk rock in Los Angeles.

1. What distinctive qualities make cities good environments for nourishing contentious and subversive cultural groups (e.g., LGBT community, avant garde artists, etc.)? Be sure to focus on the general conditions that make cities suitable environments for facilitating such groups.

2. What was the specific social and spatial process involved in creating a

contentious group of punk rockers in Los Angeles? Focus on the steps involved in making up this group and the importance of place.

3. What were the different subgroups of punk rockers and where were they

located? What were the factors driving these divisions?