Learning by Comparison: First World/Third World Cities
About
Contemporary low-energy and ecologically-sensitive campus in New Dehli, India. (Image courtesy of Aseem Inam.)
Instructor(s)
Dr. Aseem Inam
MIT Course Number
11.941
As Taught In
Fall 2008
Level
Graduate
Course Features
Course Description
The primary purpose of this seminar is to enable students to craft approaches to so-called "First World"/ "Third World" city comparisons that are theoretically sophisticated, methodologically rigorous, contextually grounded, and significantly beneficial. Since there exists very little literature and very few projects which compare "First World" and "Third World" cities in a sophisticated and genuinely useful manner, the seminar is structured around a series of readings, case studies, and discussions to assist students in becoming mindful of the potential and pitfalls of comparative analysis, the types of data, the methods of analysis, and the urban issues or sectors which may benefit the most from such approaches. The course is designed to be interdisciplinary and interactive, and is geared towards masters and doctoral students.