The course will introduce students to the core and cutting-edge scholarship in urban sociology. We will discuss theories and empirical studies related to the issue of urban politics, including the issues of food, housing, gentrification, and neighborhood change. Despite the focus on Canadian and American cities, this course also highlights global and transnational perspectives, such as immigrant experiences, “ethnic” restaurants, and forces of globalization that are intricately tied to urban lives. This course aims to open this discussion about how we connect the micro-level of our social interactions, consumption, and daily lives to macro-levels of progress, global economic forces, politics and culture.