Please write responses to your choice of three of the following questions based on the film
Detropia. Answers to each question should be about one or two paragraphs long. The more
detailed and thorough your answers are, the better you will likely do on the assignment. You may
wish to consult your textbook, lecture slides, the movie itself, or other sources, but if you do use
outside sources to support your arguments, be sure to use proper citation. Please include the
question at the beginning of each response so that I may know which ones you have chosen to
respond to.
Questions:
1. What are some of the struggles that both city officials and citizens of Detroit face when such a
large city loses a large portion of its population, and what are some of the proposed responses
and solutions to these problems?
2. Tommy Stephens, the owner of the Raven Lounge, remarks during the auto show that “this
global economy stinks!” Why does he say this, and what implications has a globalized economy
had for Detroit? Specifically, how have Free Trade policies affected Detroit’s auto industry?
3. In Detropia, we see several shots of the Detroit opera, and learn that the major auto companies
continue to fund the opera and other arts in the city even while they continue to close plants.
What might this say about privilege and racial segregation in Detroit?
4. While the decline of Detroit’s auto industry has brought hard times for many of the city’s
residents, others have found ways to take advantage of this decline. As depicted in Detropia,
what types of economic opportunities does the decline of Detroit present, and which groups of
people seem to be prospering?
5. Despite the hardships that many people face in modern Detroit, many of its residents maintain
a strong sense of pride and personal identity attached to the city. Based on the things people say
in Detropia, what are some of the sources of this continual pride? What seems to inform a strong
sense of identity with Detroit?
