DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.
User-uploaded Content
DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.
User-uploaded Content
DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.

 

Welcome to New York City to 1898, one of many Discover New York (DNY 1000C) courses taught at St. John's University.  Two things make this class special.  One is its huge time range of about 50,000 years (the Ice Age to the Gilded Age); and second, is its combination of geography (the spacial science) with history (the temporal discipline).  The course subject matter is dynamic, deep and varied because at the base of our enquiry lie the three historical and geographical landscapes of New York City: natural, built and cultural.

 

One thousand feet of ice once covered the present area of New York City.  As it melted, the rough topography was revealed and then changed by nature.  Over time, humans altered the natural landscape by filling marshes, blasting hills, erecting buildings and polluting waterways; yet the landscape still restricted unbridled growth and even threatened the city’s viability.  Our built landscape is given life through evidence of the city’s diverse population: markets, restaurants, signage, festivals, street conversations, houses of worship, etc.  This course looks at each of the city's landscapes, their individual histories, and their interconnections.  Readings are drawn from

publications about New York City political, social and natural history; news reports; and official documents.  There are three university mandated field trips. 

DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.
DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.