Course Description

The discipline of Urban Studies rests at the core of City Lab’s intellectual enterprise.  City Lab 200, introduces students to the foundations of Urban Studies, its core lines of inquiry, theoretical interventions, lines of analysis, and debates.  Students will learn these foundations through their participation in the City Lab workshop, where they will deploy ideas and knowledge learned from the courses core readings.  These readings will serve as the framework for each student’s research project, which will explore a major theme in Urban Studies and apply it to a topic within City Lab’s collective research project.  For example, students might use the concept “right to the city” as a way to explore a particular theme within Habitat III. As shown by this example, students will undertake a research project that contributes to the intellectual commons of the workshop.  Students in this 200 level course will have the responsibility for sharing their learning about Urban Studies with the 100 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 Urban Studies, their research topic, and the workshop.  Each student will engage in a dialogue with the disciplinary perspective of the other students.  

 

Course Objectives

• Gain exposure to basic questions, themes, debates, and interpretations in the field of Urban Studies

• Acquire familiarity with the major thinkers in Urban Studies

• Sharpen critical reasoning skills in the areas of reading, writing, and speaking

• Develop analytical, evidence-driven essay writing skills

• Apply Urban Studies approaches to a research topic about 21st century urbanism

• Understand the importance of cities for the 21st century

• Acquire and develop research skills

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

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

• When offered, earn the university's "W" compentence graduation requirement

 

Sample of 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 urban studies, 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 3,600 and 4,500 words.  The research paper needs to deploy urban studies 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 discussion.  Presentation needs to focus on the book's contribution to the workshop's larger research theme.  The presentation will be peer evaluated.

 

Two formal, analytical writing assignments that integrate at least two core required readings generated by the student with professor's approval.  Each essay is to between 1500 and 1800 words. Students will write a paragraph proposal, a draft, and final version.  The draft will be workshoped a set of peers from the City Lab workshop.  

 

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.    

 

If offered as a "W" competency course, this link provides information about the "W" criteria.  

 

Sample of 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.

 

Davis, Mike.  Planet of Slums.  London:  Verso, 2007.

 

Glaeser, Edward.  Triumph of the City: How Our Greatest Invention Makes Us Richer, Smarter, Greener, Healthier, and Happier.  New York:  Penguin Books, 2012.

 

Harvey, David.  Rebel Cities:  From the Right to the City to the Urban Revolution. New York: Verso, 2012.  

 

Kasarda, John D, and Greg Lindsay. Aerotropolis : The Way We’ll Live Next. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011.

 

Wamsler, Christine.  Cities, Disaster Risk and Adaptation.  New York:  Routledge, 2014.