The Literature of Fact: The World and the City

For the first time, more humans today live in cities than in villages worldwide. This course explores urban life and the social and cultural dimensions of global migration to cities through the craft of narrative nonfiction. Students will read works from all over the world, and in languages other than English, that combine reportage, social science, history and memoir. They will explore the structures of texts; learn to do interviews, use archives and write field notes; and produce long-form narratives. The seminar will include opportunities for reporting from the field, particularly in immigrant and refugee neighborhoods in nearby cities.