About the Course
Modern Cities and Urbanism is a course at Georgetown University (HIST-755) that examines the history of the city comparatively and thematically. Each student researches one city for the entire semester. The goal of the course is to rewrite the history of modern cities from the ground level and from new sites and perspectives.
See the Fall 2021 syllabus here.
The Spring 2020 – Spring 2021 course website is here.
About the Professor
Jordan Sand is Professor of Japanese History at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. He teaches modern Japanese history and other topics in East Asian history, as well as urban history and the world history of food. He lives part of the year in Takoma, D.C., and part of the year in Tokyo.
About the Researchers
Yujin Zhou is a first-year history Ph.D. student at Georgetown University. He studies the history of the Qing empire and Central Eurasia.
Rachel Wong is a first-year master’s student and a Charles B. Rangel Graduate Fellow in the Asian Studies Program at Georgetown University. Her research interests include urban geography, population displacement, and marginalized populations in the Global South. She was born in Hong Kong, raised in Atlanta, Georgia and has lived in Saint Paul, Minnesota and Yunlin County, Taiwan. In her free time, Rachel enjoys exploring local parks, singing in choirs, and finding the latest underrated foodie spot.
Ruhao (Amy) Wen is a first-year master’s student in MAGIC program at Georgetown University. She is interested in material and visual culture, especially cultural interactions and exchanges between China and other parts of the world. She was born and grew up in Shenzhen, China until she moved to the US at the age of fourteen. She enjoys singing, listening to music, and watching documentaries.
Josephine Kim is a first-year MAGIC (Master’s in Global, International, and Comparative History) student at Georgetown University. Her research interests are in urban environmental and diplomatic history, particularly in regards to the Arctic region and Nordic-East Asian relations. Josephine is currently studying the history of Rovaniemi, Finland – the capital of Lapland and home to indigenous Sámi.
Kit Evans is a second-year dual Master’s of Science in Foreign Service (MSFS) and Master’s in Global, International, and Comparative History (MAGIC) student at Georgetown University. Her historical research centres on the role of religion as an organizing mechanism in social protest movements, such as contextual theology in anti-Apartheid movements in South Africa. At MSFS, Kit focuses on food security and transnational corruption, and uses her historical training to bridge the gap between methodological and academic expertise in the development of policy solutions. Originally from London, she worked at the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office before coming to Georgetown.
Juliana Kogan is a first-year master’s student in the Asian Studies Program at Georgetown University who is also pursuing a certificate in the Global Human Development Program. Her research interests lie in climate change, transnational issues in Eurasia, and green energy transition. She was born in Odessa, Ukraine, grew up in the United States, and spent many years living in Japan as a translator/ interpreter. Outside of academic pursuits, she is also a digital artist specializing in illustration and comic work.
