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City Lab 100:  Complexity Thinking & the Urban Form

Course Description

City Lab 100 approaches the semester's research workshop topic from the perspective of complexity thinking.  Students engage in a core set of readings about complex adaptive systems and systems theory and use them for framing their particular research topic within the workshop's larger research project.  For example, students might use the concept of emergence as a way to explore the limitations of urban planning.  Following the example, if the semester's workshop topic was Habitat III, then the student would select some aspect of Habitat III from the perspective of emergence and the limitations of urban planning.  As shown by this example, students will undertake their own research project that contributes to the intellectual commons of the workshop.  Students in this 100 level course will have the responsibility for sharing their learning about complexity with the 200 and 300 level students participating in the workshop.  Additionally, students will bring the perspective, ideas, theories, and knowledge from their particular major or program to their considerations of complexity thinking, their research topic, and the workshop.  Each student will engage in a dialogue with the disciplinary perspective of the other students.  

 

Course Objectives

  • Learn the basics of complexity thinking

  • Apply complexity thinking to a research topic about 21st century urbanism

  • Understand the importance of cities for the 21st century

  • Familiarize with major topics, issues, and debates within urban studies

  • Acquire and develop research skills

  • Deploy disciplinary thinking in a wider discussion that's integrated with the other disciplines

  • Practice critical thinking skills in the areas of writing and verbal communication

  • Develop basic digital media skills and apply them toward high order analysis

 

Course Assignments

Critical review of a key book within the student's area of research.  Essay is to be 1200-1500 words. The review needs discuss the author's central question, core themes, and argument.  It also needs to place the book within the context of complexity thinking and your particular academic discipline.  The review should illustrate the importance of the book for 21st century urbanism. 

 

Development of a City Lab tutorial using digitial media such as a web page or Prezi.  The tutorial is a social media version of your research paper.  It will guide future City Lab participants through your research, serving as an introduction to your use of complexity thinking, your topic, and its contribution to the workshop research project.

 

Semester research paper, which will be a staged assignment.  The final product needs to be between 3,000 and 3,600 words.  The research paper needs to deploy complexity thinking in analysis of an urban topic that contributes to the workshop's larger theme.  It should also be framed by the students particular major or program.  The stages of the assignment are:  topic proposal; literature review; draft; and final version.  Students will engage in peer critiquing of each other's work during the process.

 

Presentation to workshop covering a core topic, theme, argument from one of the core readings.  The session should be planned a 30 minute time unit, with approximately 15 minutes given to presentation and 15 minutes given to discusion.  Presentation needs to focus on the book's contribution to the workshop's larger reserach theme.  The presentation will be peer evaluated.

 

An assignment generated by the student with professor's approval that integrates student's academic interest/major, one of the core readings, and the workshop theme.  Examples might include:  a presentation to the university community; creation of a poster; development of some aspect of the City Lab web page; creative writing; or formal analytical writing.

 

Semester journal/notes using Google Documents.  This assignment is designed to help students process their semester thinking, to keep track of ideas, and to demonstrate engagement with the workshop.    

 

Students will be evaluated on their overall workshop citizenship:  attendance and active particpation; substantive contributions to the workshop's enterprise; engagement with other student's projects and learning.    

 

Course Core Readings

The core readings are required readings for the semester.  Students will engage in discussion and analysis of the readings with classmates and workshop participates, as well as with the professor. Students will gain deeper understanding of the material as they apply it to their research topic and through the writing assignments. The core reading list is subject to change each semester. Depending on a student's particular research topic, the professor may add or substitute complexity readings.  

 

Beatley, Timothy, Heather Boyer, and Peter Newman.  Resilient Cities:  Responding to Peak Oil and Climate Change.  Washington, DC:  Island Press, 2009. 

 

Homer-Dixon, Thomas. The Upside of Down: Catastrophe, Creativity, and the Renewal of Civilization. Washington, DC: Island Press, 2006.  

 

Johnson, Steven. Emergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software. New York: Scribner, 2002.

 

Kingsley, Dennis and John Urry.  After the Car.  Malden, MA:  Polity, 2009.

 

Meadows, Donella. Thinking in Systems: A Primer. White River Junction, Vt: Chelsea Green Publisher, 2008.

 

 

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