Bachelor´s degree consisting of 180 credits. The equivalent of English 6 in Swedish secondary school.

The course forms part of the main field of Urban Studies second-cycle level

The purpose of the course is that students should deepen their knowledge about current tendencies and challenges within the research field of Urban Studies

The course is structured around three interactive themes that together form a whole:

1. The development of different urban forms, urban conditions and contemporary challenges in a global perspective.
2. Everyday life and the field of tension in the local urban context between, on the one hand, social and cultural practices and, on the other, the material world of built landscapes, buildings and infrastructures.
3. Economic, social, cultural, political and environmental driving forces expressed in urban development, exemplified by important societal issues.

The course consists of several interactive elements:

• Introductory presentations, in the form of lectures and seminars
• Seminars where students' own experiences form the basis of introductory presentations of the literature and subsequent questions and critical discussion.
• Seminars where students present their own and criticise each other's essays.

Following successful completion of the course students should demonstrate

1. knowledge and understanding of the global challenges associated with urban development, of the diversity of driving forces behind urban processes, as well as the circumstance that the urban research field includes an analysis of both social and material aspects.
2. the ability to critically, autonomously and creatively, together with social actors, identify and formulate issues related to current urban challenges
3. the ability to make assessments within the main field of Urban Studies informed by relevant disciplinary, social and ethical issues
4. a considerable degree of specialised knowledge within chosen parts of Urban Studies as well as knowledge about the development in the research field of Urban Studies
5. the ability to critically and systematically integrate knowledge of different types for application in urban development contexts.

Work formats include, in addition to individual literature studies, essay writing, seminars of various types including seminars with teachers and researchers in the field as well as with invited social actors, followed by questions and critical discussion among students. Field studies individually and in groups are added.

• Completing seminar assignments (4 credits) (objectives 1 – 3) (grading scale UG)
• Active individual participation in seminars and field studies (4 credits) (objectives 1-3) (grading scale UG)
• Written and oral presentation of an essay including criticism of another student's essay. The essay should demonstrate that the student understands contexts, such as those between global economic tendencies and local conditions (7 credits) (objectives 1-5) (grading scale A – E,U)

Course grade is based on written and oral presentation of essay.

• Bridge, G. & Watson, S. (Eds). (2010). The Blackwell City Reader. Blackwell Publishing, Oxford.
• Davidson, M. & Martin, D. (Eds.). (2013). Urban Politics: Critical Approaches. Sage.
• Glaeser, E. (2011). Triumph of the city: How our greatest invention makes US richer, smarter, greener, healthier and happier. Pan Macmillan.
• Sassen, S. (1991). The Global City. Princeton University Press, New York.
• Schiller, N. Glick & Caglar, A. (eds) (2011). Locating Migration: Rescaling Cities and Migrants. Cornell University Press.
• Sennett, R. (1992). The conscience of the eye: The design and social life of cities. WW Norton & Company.
• Articles may be added

Reference Literature

• Brooks, N., Donaghy, K. & Knaap, G-J. (Eds.) (2011). The Oxford Handbook of Urban Economics and Planning. Oxford University Press.

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