'Divided Baltimore' Class Returns This Fall
August 23, 2016
Contact: University Relations
Phone: 410.837.5739
"Divided Baltimore," a highly successful, experiential-based class launched by the University of Baltimore in fall 2015, will return to campus this fall through the University's College of Public Affairs. The one-semester course, offered at the undergraduate level, will be held on Mondays beginning at 5:30 p.m. It is available to any student who wishes to enroll in the course.
Ron Kipling Williams, M.F.A. '16, an adjunct faculty member in UB's Yale Gordon College of Arts and Sciences, will lead the course as it explores the roots of the city's institutionalized racism, which has led to sharp inequities in housing, jobs, educational opportunities and more. Understanding the induced poverty of laws and regulations going back more than a century, Williams said, is an effective way of determining a better future for the city.
"This course is not just about analysis and examination. It is about exploring solutions for effective action," Williams said. "If you live in Baltimore, the chances are good that you want the city to work for all of us—not just some. It's important to recognize that each of us has a special role to play in undoing these systems, and I hope that 'Divided Baltimore' can help show us a way forward."
The University of Baltimore earned national recognition when it introduced the course in fall 2015, only weeks after the city experienced significant civil unrest as the result of a police-involved fatality. The course invited the public and UB students to discuss the many factors that had, in essence, led to the establishment of two Baltimores—one stable, well-educated and comfortable, and another impoverished, stressed and disenfranchised. By considering the city's history and its place in American culture, on specific topics delivered by UB professors, guest lecturers and opinion leaders, the class demonstrated that ordinary people can inspire positive change.
Learn more about Williams and the College of Public Affairs.
The University of Baltimore is a member of the University System of Maryland and comprises the College of Public Affairs, the Merrick School of Business, the UB School of Law and the Yale Gordon College of Arts and Sciences.