15 credits in the Urban Studies Master programme

The course forms part of the main area of Urban Studies, second cycle.

The purpose of the course is that students should develop their knowledge of methodological and theory of knowledge issues in the main field of Urban Studies.

A further purpose is that students should develop their skills at identifying and concretely expressing urban contexts to be able to achieve a dialogue with urban development actors.

The course is structured around three interactive themes forming a complex unity:

1. Identifying important and interesting urban contexts and issues.
2. Analysing – based on the use of different methodologies – these urban issues.
3. Concretising – in text and image – of the urban issues as a means of communication, critique and development.

The course consists of several interactive elements.

• Introductory presentations in lecture form of methodological and theory of knowledge themes relevant to the field of Urban Studies.
• Practical exercises in the form of workshops where students identify important and interesting urban contexts and develop their skills in analysing them.
• Examination presentations where students practise analysing, interpreting and commenting upon urban contexts in text and image, e.g. using a poster format.

Following successful completion of the course students should demonstrate

1. methodological knowledge in the main field of Urban Studies
2. the ability to critically and systematically integrate knowledge and to analyse, assess and deal with complex phenomena, issues and situations even with limited information
3. the ability to critically, autonomously and creatively identify and formulate issues, to plan and implement and, using appropriate methods, undertake advanced tasks within predetermined time frames and thus contribute to the formation of knowledge as well as the ability to evaluate this work
4. the ability to make assessments in the main field of Urban Studies informed by relevant disciplinary, social and ethical issues, and also to demonstrate awareness of ethical aspects of research and development work
5. the ability to critically, autonomously and creatively, in cooperation with social actors, identify and formulate issues in relation to contemporary urban challenges
6. the ability to clearly report and discuss their conclusions in speech and writing and the knowledge and arguments that form their basis in dialogue with various groups
7. an insight into the possibilities and limitations of research, its role in society and the responsibility of the individual for how it is used.

Three methdological themes – one geographical (GIS), one architectural and one ethnographic – form the basic structure of the course. Work formats include, in addition to individual literature studies, exercises, workshops and presentation work in the form of text and image as well as seminars in various forms.

• Individual assignments (5 credits) (objectives 1 – 3) (grading scale UG)
• Active individual participation in seminars (5 credits) (objectives 1 – 7) (grading scale UG),
• Individual investigation and presentation of a research study (5 credits) (objectives 1 – 7) (grading scale A-E, U)

Completion of the course requires that all examined parts have been successfully completed.
Final grade is based on the grade of the Individual investigation and presentation of research study.

• Wagner, C., Kawulich, B. & Garner, M. (2012). Doing Social Research: A global context. McGraw-Hill, New Your. Available as e-book.
• Ward, K. (2013). Researching the City. A Guide for students. SAGE, Thousand Oaks. (167 pages).
• Articles and other material will be provided electronically.

Malmö University provides students who participate in, or who have completed a course, with the opportunity to express their opinions and describe their experiences of the course by completing a course evaluation administered by the University. The University will compile and summarise the results of course evaluations. The University will also inform participants of the results and any decisions relating to measures taken in response to the course evaluations. The results will be made available to the students (HF 1:14).

If a course is no longer offered, or has undergone significant changes, the students must be offered two opportunities for re-examination based on the syllabus that applied at the time of registration, for a period of one year after the changes have been implemented.

If a student has a Learning support decision, the examiner has the right to provide the student with an adapted test, or to allow the student to take the exam in a different format.

The syllabus is a translation of a Swedish source text