This course is an introduction to major forces that shape urban life in the United States from the eighteenth century to the present, with a focus on Philadelphia. Through weekly assignments and discussions, students will examine the physical formation and historical development of cities and learn to "read" the sociological and geographic organization of the contemporary city. Prominent themes include urban growth, decline, and restructuring; the ecological bases of urban life; race, class, and gender relations in urban space; and the formation and re-formation of neighborhoods, downtowns, and suburbs.