WASH 101 Washington Past & Present: An Introductory Study
In this interdisciplinary course, students learn about the past and present of Washington, D.C. and how the city illustrates a variety of theories and principles from different academic disciplines. Focus is on Washington as a symbolic city (the design and meaning of its buildings, monuments, and museums); a living city (its neighborhoods, economy, and environment); and a political city (national and local policy-makers, staff, lobbyists, and diplomats). Themes include how cities evolve over time; how neighborhoods form, decline and revive; how the national intersects with the local in a capital city; and how national and local communities are defined and lived. Taught via discussions, lectures, and visits to various locations in Washington, the course draws on methods and insights from such fields of study as sociology, literature, social work, economics, art and architectural history, media studies, anthropology, political science, and history. The class emphasizes the importance of students learning how to ask probing questions about their environment, how to gather and analyze data to answer them, and how to communicate their answers effectively.