Submitted by Meera Roy
on
LSJ 495: LSJ Amsterdam and Seattle: Urban Social Control in Comparative Perspectives (15 credits) SSc
This program will facilitate the study of urban social control through a comparative analysis of control in Seattle and Amsterdam. By living in and studying two dense urban cities, students will explore the variety of social processes by which cities are rendered orderly. We will be interested in considering whether and how ordering processes might differ in an American city in contrast to a Dutch city. The program is designed to help students understand the key control mechanisms that make cities function, and to compare how these mechanisms work in two different cities, Seattle and Amsterdam. Through close readings, active class discussions, and fieldwork, we will develop an understanding of social control in both theory and practice, and do so through a comparative analysis of the two cities and the cultures of which they are a part. After the conclusion of this program, students will possess a deeper appreciation for the overt and covert means by which urban areas are rendered orderly, and an understanding of the larger political and philosophical questions those ordering processes necessarily generate. Students will read articles and conduct research in Seattle during the first three weeks of Summer quarter before leaving for Amsterdam. Students will then spend four weeks, from 7/14 - 8/8 in Amsterdam. While in Amsterdam students will be immersed in the local culture, will attend lectures from local faculty, participate in class discussions, and participate in group activities. These activities will include exploring a gentrifying neighborhood in Amsterdam, touring Amsterdam's Red Light District, visiting a marijuana coffee shop, among others.
LSJ Amsterdam Study Abroad applications are now open on the UW Study Abroad website! Click here to see the program brochure and to apply! This study abroad program compares Amsterdam and Seattle on ways that cities maintain order and control their populations. We study topics such as:
-gentrification;
-regulation of sex work and cannabis;
-houselessness;
-transportation;
-history of race and immigration;
-and lots of others!
The program runs during Summer term, 2026 - we will start with 3 weeks in Seattle (remote option available for this part), then we're off to 4 weeks in Amsterdam. You’ll be right in the city of Amsterdam, with the opportunity to:
-visit the Anne Frank House;
-visit a Dutch Coffee Shop;
-visit the Red Light District;
-tour the canals by boat;
-visit world class museums;
-travel throughout Europe!
All UW students can apply - priority deadline is 1/31. Contact Professor Ann Frost (program director) if you have questions: acfrost@uw.edu.