The Los Angeles River is a 51-mile long waterway that has defined and contributed to the development of Los Angeles as a major global city. It has functioned as a water source for LA’s earliest peoples, a major piece of urban infrastructure designed to control flooding, a recreation area, a site for Hollywood car chases, a home for the houseless, a sacred place, and more. This course examines narratives and worldviews of the Los Angeles River as a case study of land and place and how power, policy, and planning reflect and inform these worldviews. The course will explore community-based research approaches and methods that facilitate emergent worldviews and strategies for just and sustainable urban development. The course will include guest speakers and require field trips outside of regular class times. Open only to first year frosh.