Constructing the ghetto: an analysis of the representation of Black urban communities in urban and community sociology courses

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article uses analysis of 72 syllabi to investigate portrayals of Black urban communities in undergraduate Urban and Community Sociology courses taught in colleges and universities in the United States. The authors conducted keyword analyses of the syllabi and content analyses of the assigned readings. Although professors’ course descriptions do not focus on poverty, segregation, and crime, assigned readings relating to Black communities largely focus on those topics. The authors argue that urban sociology classes reproduce the ‘iconic ghetto,’ the lens through which Black urban communities are perceived. This pattern poses a risk of reinforcing current structures of racial inequality. This study identifies a need for more nuanced representations of Black communities within undergraduate Urban and Community Sociology classrooms, particularly in terms of required readings and assignments. The authors provide pedagogical and methodological suggestions around the use of ‘portraiture’ to develop syllabi that are more representative of the range of experiences in urban Black communities.