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POVERTY, RACISM, AND CRIME IN WEST PHILADELPHIA:
WHAT SHOULD PENN DO DEMOCRATICALLY TO OVERCOME THEM?
Course Description
This seminar will have a unique structure and significant academic
resources to study a real and vibrant community, West Philadelphia from
the Schuylkill River to 63rd Street, to Hook Road in Eastwick to City
Line in Overbrook, an area of about 30 square miles, more than 210,000
residents, and more than 55,000 jobs.
The faculty of the seminar will include six regular instructors (A.R.
Tomazinis, Henry Teune, Ira Harkavy, Lee Benson, Van McMurtry, and
Richard Gelles), and will be supported by a stellar group of over two
dozen collaborating scholars of the University, professionals from the
city, and a number of community leaders.
The approach of the faculty-student research seminar will be a mix of
in-class lectures, dialogues, and field work by student teams, focused
on five specific West Philadelphia neighborhoods. The five teams,
with the support of seminar faculty and two or three of the
collaborating scholars, will present a mid-semester research report on
February 15, 2007. The students will also present and discuss
their findings of the problems and recommendations to solve them at a
final “jury” on April 19, 2007.
The grades will be based on the quality of work presented in the
mid-term and final juries, and in discussions and weekly contributions
to the classes.
Students are expected to spend considerable time in the field, visiting
the target community and meeting with community and city
officials. Each team will arrange meetings among themselves, and
find readings pertinent to their subject matter. The faculty of
the weekly seminar will assign readings and will be available for
consultation.
This seminar is inter-disciplinary with more than a dozen Departments
and Programs participating, providing more than twenty (20) senior
faculty members. The seminars will be a mix of actual field
research work undertaken by the participating students under the
guidance of experienced faculty members and theoretical discussions in
the seminar with teams of faculty members.
The work is divided into two time periods and two focus points.
The first period of six weeks will be classroom theoretical discussions
and data collection and analysis. The second period of six weeks
will be devoted to discussion of proposals for improvements in the
studied area.
At the end of each period there will be presentations of research,
findings, and proposals. The seventh week of the semester will
include the first presentation and the thirteenth week of the semester
will be the final presentations.
Faculty Involved
Core Faculty
Anthony Tomazinis,
Professor Emeritus, City and Regional Planning
Lee Benson,
Professor Emeritus, History
Richard Gelles,
Dean, School of Social Policy and Practice
Ira Harkavy,
Associate Vice President and Director, Center for Community Partnerships
Van McMurtry,
Vice President, Government and Community Affairs
Henry Teune,
Professor, Political Science
Jannie Blackwell, Councilmember,
3rd Council District of Philadelphia
Participating
Faculty
Elijah Anderson, Charles
& William L Day Professor, Social Science
Lee Cassanelli, Associate
Professor, History
Camille Charles, Associate
Professor, Sociology
Michael Delli
Carpini, Dean, Annenberg School for Communication
John DiIulio, Professor
A, Political Science
Robert Engs, Professor,
History, Undergraduate Chair
Vivian Gadsden, Associate
Professor, LED GSE, Director, NCOFF
William Gipson, The
Rev Chaplain
Robert Giegengack, Undergraduate
Chair, Earth & Environmental Science
David Grazian, Assistant
Professor A, Sociology
Sheldon Hackney, Professor,
History
Bernie Johnson, Professor,
Dermatology & Pathology (DERM) & Senior Medical Director, HUP, Sr.
Associate Dean Diversity & Community Outreach, School of Medicine, Sr.
Associate Dean, Veterans Affairs, School of Medicine
Don Kettl, Director,
Fels Institute of Government, Professor A, Fels Institute Government, Professor
A, Political Science
Larry Klein, Benjamin
Franklin Professor Emeritus, Economics
John Kromer, Senior
Consultant, Fels Institute Government
Bill Labov, John
H & Margaret B Fassitt Professor, Linguistics Director, Linguistics Lab
Andy Lamas, Lecturer,
Urban Studies Prog, Lecturer, Social Work
Walter Licht, Professor,
History
Carol Muller, Assistant
Professor, Music
Steve Mullin, Lecturer
B, Fels Administration
Richard Pepino, Visiting
Scholar, EG-Emergency Medicine
Laura Perna, Associate
Professor A, Graduate School of Education
Adolph Reed, Professor
A, Political Science
Dan Romer, Director,
Adolescent Risk Communication Institute, Associate Director, Annenberg Public
Policy Center
Ralph Rosen, Professor,
Classical Studies, Chair Graduate GRP in Classical Studies
Larry Sherman, Chair
Greenfield Professor, Criminology, Director Jerry Lee CTR, Criminology
Eileen Sullivan-Marx,
Associate Professor, Nursing, Associate Dean, Pract & Community Affairs
Susan Wachter, Professor,
Real Estate & Finance
Seminar Summary
| Week 1: |
Income Distribution and Economic Development Issues
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| Week 2: |
Transportation, Planning and Community Connectivity
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| Week 3: |
Housing Issues/Political Capital
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| Week 4: |
Community Health/Families, Children, and Youth
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| Week 5: |
City, State, Federal Policies and Programs |
| Week 6: |
Environmental Issues |
| Week 7: |
Crime and Delinquency |
| Week 8: |
Spring Break |
| Week 9: |
Racism/Pluralism
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Week 10:
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Neighborhood Problems/Issues |
Week 11:
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Arts and Community Culture |
Week 12:
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Schooling and Literacy |
Week 13:
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Regional Development and West Development |
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