Urban History in the Community College / Jeremy W. Kilar.

This paper describes a course in urban history offered at Delta College in Michigan. A variety of techniques are utilized in teaching the course--lecture is relied on to acquaint students with the historian's role in the study of urban history, a field trip to an inner city is planned, short field assignments are used to acquaint students with their urban surroundings, and individual or team projects, wherein the real success of the course lies, are utilized to offer opportunities for individual creativity and inquiry in the area of urban history. Areas in which students have conducted research for their projects have included urban planning, welfare reform, rural vs. urban poverty, and ethnic and racial mobility. Among the more outstanding results achieved by students have been production of a film showing rural/urban contrasts, cooking of a representative "welfare recipient's dinner", and publication of a study of occupational mobility for Blacks in the city of Saginaw, Michigan. Additionally, local community histories have been produced, as have been slide presentations and oral history reports. While the intent of an urban history course has not been to supplant the more conventional U. S. history survey, it is nonetheless a realistic alternative capable of stimulating historical curiosity and constructive research and study. The course outline is appended. (JDS)

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