Writing the City
In this class we will explore the city as it exists, thrives, and sometimes dies in words. But this class wants to take a different approach to this old but seemingly inexhaustible subject: writing about the city. We’ll closely examine three things: the philosophy of urban action (the strange case of Bogota, Colombia), the biology of the city (the body in urban space and the nature of human sociality), and the art of psychogeography (feeling the city, remembering the city, and the city of our memories). After we examine these three things, we will begin writing experiments that utilize their key concepts. An approach that’s guided by the social philosophy of Antanas Mockus (the former Mayor of Bogota), the biological theories of Lynn Margulis and sociobiology, and Christian Nold’s Bio Mapping / Emotion Mapping, I believe, has the potential to produce a kind of writing that reveals new aspects and ways of experiencing the city of our moment. Nothing will be difficult or inaccessible. Learning must be fun.
FAQ
Complete FAQMost classes are offered at a general and member tuition rates based on instruction hours, with Hugo House members receiving a 10% discount on classes fewer than six sessions.
Early bird discounts are available during the first two weeks of registration and apply to both general and member tuition rates.
To help provide financial accessibility to our class offerings, some classes each quarter are offered with a sliding-scale tuition model, allowing students to pay what they can for the class. For these classes, tuition increments starting at $5 and going up to 125% of the standard pricing will be listed on the page.
Hugo House will only process refund requests that are submitted 5 business days or more before the class start date. To request a refund, log in to your account, go to “My Account,” select the “Orders” tab on the left-hand side, click the appropriate order, and request a refund for your specific class. Administrative fees apply. Please see our full refund policy here.
Class sessions may be recorded if a session falls on a holiday, or if a student has access needs. Class recordings are not guaranteed.
We do not tolerate racist, sexist, homophobic, ableist, transphobic or any other oppressive behaviors, regardless of who commits them. Please check out our full community guidelines by clicking here. If an instance of community guidelines are violated and not resolved within the classroom, students may let us know by filling out the student incident report.
Classes may be cancelled if less than the minimum number of students are enrolled within ten days before the class start date. If Hugo House needs to cancel a class for any reason, students can choose between receiving a full credit toward future classes or full refund.
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