About the Curriculum

The systems shaping modern day policing and our concept of public safety today didn’t appear out of nowhere. This curriculum goes back to 19th-century New York City to show students exactly how they were built – who built them, who they were built for, and who’s been paying the price ever since.

Each lesson pairs with an episode of the award-winning podcast Empire City, hosted by journalist and scholar Chenjerai Kumanyika. Students listen to episodes before class, then dig into historical case studies and primary sources to ask the harder questions: How do institutions respond when power is challenged? Who controls the public narrative – and why? When the rules change, who wins?

This is about thinking like a researcher: analyzing evidence, building arguments, and connecting the past to the world students are actually living in. This curriculum is aligned with NCSS historical thinking standards.

Download the Implementation Guide 

INTENDED AUDIENCE & SETTING 

• Grade Level: High School (Grades 10–12)
• Course Context: U.S. History, Social Studies, Civics or Humanities
• Instructional Setting: In-school classroom

Total Length: 8 core lessons tied to each podcast episode (approximately one class period each), plus 1 optional culminating student project (2–5 class periods)