1 of 4

Cecil Brown
Stanford University
Urban Studies 105
Tues., Thurs;
Instructor: Cecil Brown. Ph.D [email protected]

Urban Studies 105 Gentri cation in Oakland

Exploring the Walking Tours of Oakland

The Hipster and the City: Digital Humanities, Race, Ethnicity, and
Gentri cation in Oakland
“City as a Classroom” : Studying Gentrification through the lens of Virtual Reality (VR) and
Augment Reality (AR), and GPS)

This course is dedicated the Inspired by the word of Canadian social theorists Marshall
McLuhan, this course explores the interplay between anthropology and media studies.
As a way to explore oral poetry and the myth of the poet in contemporary society, it
opens up the environment outside the classroom—and brings the outside inside.
Instead of a book as a guiding principle, we chose to use digital tools such as provided
by Apple and Google platforms.

Emergent Technology and The African American Culture in the City

In the recent months and years, Apple and Google have provided academics with tools
that allow for a different look into the study of American culture. Previous to these
innovations, Marshal McLuhan laid the groundwork for how we should use these tools.
That is why It is crucial that the student begins the class by reviewing the lm by Prof.
McLuhan, “Using the City as a Classroom.” (Youtube).

Furthermore, this course introduces undergraduate students to the theory and methods
of the geospatial history (and humanities), understood broadly as the application of GIS
(Geographical Information System) techniques and other quantitative methods in the
humanistic study of social and cultural patterns in past and recent settings.

Finally, this course is inspired by Gladys Mae West, the black woman who discovered the GPS.
fi







fi

fi

2 of 4

Born and raised under the segregation in Virginia, Mrs West is a woman and Black who is often
overlook in a white-male dominated ,and yet without the GPS most of modern communication
would not be possible.

Because of her discovery, we are able to understand urban problems like gentri cation
is through Urban Storytelling, i.e.to listening to the stories that people tell about their
experience in the city.

Using Halo, Areo, ARKit 6, Descript (podcasting) and other spatial theory and technical
learning methodologies, Google Street view, and Tagging collectives, and GPS, we will
take Walking Tours through Oakland to understand gentri cation.

Students will select one of ve areas of Oakland and interview people and record their
stories. This is a course that is place-bashed audio storytelling with the Detour software
that is used in Stanford’s Media X department.

As an urban storyteller himself, the student learns that stories are place-based. Next, he
learns how to nd a Narrator, who can tell the story, and nally, he nds the story itself.

Hybrid course
This is a hybrid course equal part classic seminar and creative workshop. Students will

work in small groups to document places that have stories in them. These place-based
stories help him to unite the various elements of artistic and political groups.

Place-centered and Location-based stories

To begin the Course Project of creating a Location-based audio tour, Students will
select one of ve Neighborhoods (Areas) in Oakland to collect stories from.

(1) Lake Merritt, (2) Dogtown, (2) East Oakland, (4) Fruitvale -Oscar Grant), (5)
Frank Ogawa Plaza at city Hall.and we will be on trail of social movements like
Occupy Oakland. These places are further characterized by where they t in
Oakland Gentri cation Map. (http://www.governing.com/gov- data/oakland-
gentri cation-maps-demographic-data.html.)

My Avatar, My Self, and My Identity in the Video Role-Playing Video Games by Zack Waggoner

Race To Technology by Raja Benjamin

The Tools and the Tours:

We will listen to audio programs and walking tours. We will other VR sites.
fi
fi
fi
fi

fi

fi
fi
fi
fi
fi

3 of 4

The emphasis is on “walking.” Walking Tours, which differ from podcast in a

signi cant way. The Walking tour is a story told in transition from one place (a stop) to
another place (a leg), along a distinct path. The walking tour changes its point of views
of shifting signs and symbols that are consistent with gentri cation.
VR is a dynamic tool of inquiry—an extension of a student’s curiosity about a
topic. A good podcast invites the listener into an experience or insight that combines
theories, facts and feelings into a space of empathy—a rewarding experience both for
the storyteller and the listener.

The Tools: Role-playing Horton/Avatar, Live-streaming, importation, AI, and Podcasts

The Tours
At each Tour there are a series of “Stop”s and “Legs.” At the Stop, there is an Anchor
which the player synchs up with. The player “explores” the data here. Then continues on
“The Leg.”
At the “Stop,” the player stops to download from a Anchor videos of Horton’s poetry
being read either by an Avatar or by the player.
(2)

COURSE OUTCOME
By the end of the course, committed students will be able to: • De ne gentri cation

• Use digital software Halo, Areo, Arkit 6 to make Podcasts

• Understand the history, background, and cultural roots of gentri cation.

• Appreciate the class structure involved in gentri cation.

• Demonstrate the signi cant relationship between incarceration and gentri cation

• Evaluate the positive and negative results of gentri cation.

• Demonstrate a command of the relevant theoretical literature by applying these

concepts to their hands-on projects . Show it! Visualize it! Be There! Walk the beat!
Tell the story!

• Use the geospatial in other disciplines like humanities (Urban Studies and African
American History--race and ethnicity--in the City, i.e., Oakland.)\

• Know the History and Theory of Gentri cation, mass incarceration in our urban
environments.
fi

fi
fi
fi
fi
fi
fi
fi
fi
fi

4 of 4

Each student will work on a project-based component. These projects which will be
the focus of a theoretical rigor, analyze patterns of change in time and space -- with
respect to a range of questions relating to social change as it take shape in space
and historical time.

These are the type of questions that will guide the students’ research. What are the
underlying warrants for picking a particular method? How does one make use of
the geospatial statistics in relation to social, historical and cultural change? How
does the student add critical commentary on the results of his study?

Community Engagement

As this is a community engagement class, we want the students to have three

purposes in the course.

First, learning from a community organization will help inform the basic content of
the course.

Second, writing essays and producing podcast; and scripts that involve the
everyday activities of the citizens in the neighborhood which will help the student
learn what cannot be taught in books.

Third, working with a community group which will give the opportunity to see what it
is that we can do to help our cities.