The course is worth one full-year credit and is contingent on adequate enrolment. Students are not permitted to register for more than one course.
Classes will take place Monday to Thursday from approximately 9:00 am to 12:00 pm. Field trips will occur during scheduled class time AND outside of class time. A detailed schedule will be available at the time of admission.
URB431Y0 Urban Justice in the Global South
Cities all over the world, and particularly in India, are engines of the global economy, but also sites of deep inequality and poverty. Mumbai is no exception: home to both Bollywood and billionaires as well as Dharavi, South Asia’s largest slum. How do we make sense of this paradox? This course investigates the notion of urban justice in the context of Indian Cities. How do local governments, private actors, non-profit organizations, and various community stakeholders in Indian cities each conceive of urban justice and collaborate or clash to achieve their visions?
Not eligible for CR/NCR option.
Recommended Preparation: URB235H1, URB236H1 OR completion of 1.0 second year social science (Geography, political science, gender studies) course.
Breadth Requirement = Society and its Institutions (3)
Preliminary Course Outline
Field Trips
TBC
Instructor
Aditi Mehta has been an Assistant Professor of Urban Studies since 2018. She is a community development scholar and designs courses and research projects in collaboration with non-profit organizations for the purpose of social change. In 2020, she was awarded the SSHRC Partnership Engagement Grant for her participatory action research course in which undergraduate students and members of the non-profit FOCUS Media Arts collaborated to conduct research about the Regent Park neighborhood’s redevelopment. Aditi is also the faculty advisor for the International Multidisciplinary Urban Capstone course in India, where students partner with non-profits in Pune to tackle an urban problem. Aditi completed her PhD at the MIT in Urban Studies and Planning. She was awarded the Institute’s highest public service award for co-designing MIT’s first course inside prison.