Course syllabus autumn 2016
Course syllabus autumn 2016
Title
Urban Studies: The Field of Urban Studies
Swedish title
Urbana studier: Forskningsfältet urbana studier
Course code
US610E
Credits
15 credits
Grading scale
UA / Excellent (A), Very Good (B), Good (C), Satisfactory (D), Pass (E) or Fail (U)
Language of instruction
English
Decision-making body
Faculty of Culture and Society
Syllabus approval date
2016-02-05
Syllabus valid from
2016-08-29
Entry requirements
Bachelor´s degree consisting of 180 credits. The equivalent of English B/English 6 in Swedish secondary school.
Level
Advanced level
Main field
Urban Studies
Progression level
A1N
Progression level in relation to degree requirements
The course forms part of the main field of Urban Studies second-cycle level
Course objectives
The purpose of the course is that students should develop specialised knowledge and acquire a picture of the research field of Urban Studies and its development, including its scope and complexity.
Course contents
The course is structured around two themes that together form a whole:
- Urban Studies idea and research development in relation to city development.
- Urban Studies in current national and international research.
The course consists of several integrated elements:
- Introductory presentations, in the form of lectures and seminars on the Urban Studies research field.
- Literature seminars where students are responsible for their own introductory presentations of the literature and subsequent questions and critical discussion.
- Field studies illustrating and concretising important research aspects and enabling students to link these to their own experiences.
- Seminars where students present their own and criticise each other's essays.
Learning outcomes
Following successful completion of the course students should demonstrate
- knowledge and understanding of the main field of Urban Studies and its idea and research development
- the ability to critically, autonomously and creatively identify and formulate issues appropriate to the idea and research development of Urban Studies
- the ability to perform within the main field of Urban Studies simple assessments informed by relevant disciplinary, social and ethical issues
- the ability to critically and systematically integrate knowledge in the main field, i.e., knowledge developed historically as well as knowledge achieved by current research
Learning activities
Work formats include, in addition to individual literature studies, essay writing, seminars of various types, including research seminars with presentations by teachers in the field with subsequent questions and critical discussion among students as well as essay seminars.
Assessment
- Completing written and oral seminar assignments (5 credits) (objectives 1-2) (grading scale UG)
- Active individual participation in seminars and field studies (5 credits) (objectives 1-2) (grading scale UG)
- Written and oral presentation of a minor essay where students autonomously and creatively identify and formulate issues in the main field including criticism of another student's essay 5 credits) (objectives 3 and 4) (grading scale A – E, U)
Course grade is based on written and oral presentation of essay.
Course literature and other study material
- Bridge, G. & Watson, S. (Eds). (2010). The Blackwell City Reader. Blackwell Publishing, Oxford.
- Deegan, M.J. (2005). Jane Adams and the Men of the Chicago School 1892-1918. Transaction Publishers, New Brunswick (USA) & London (UK).
- Engels, F. (2009/1844). The Condition of the Working Class in England. Oxford Paperback.
- Harvey, D. (1989). The Condition of Post-Modernity. An Enquiry into the Origins of Cultural Change. Blackwell, Oxford.
- Jacobs, J. (1961). The Death and Life of Great American Cities. Random House, New York.
- Park, R. E. & Burgess, E. W. (1984). The City. Suggestions for Investigations of Human Behavior in the Urban Environment. University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
- Wirth, L. (1938). ”Urbanism as a Way of Life”. American Journal of Sociology.
- Electronically accessible compendiums
- Articles may be added (max 120 pages)
Reference Literature
- Brooks, N., Donaghy, K. & Knaap, G-J. (Eds.) (2011). The Oxford Handbook of Urban Economics and Planning. Oxford University Press.
Course evaluation
The University provides students participating in or upon completion of a course with the opportunity to relay their experiences of and opinions on the course through a course evaluation which is administered by the University. The University compiles and summarizes the course evaluations and informs students of the results and any decisions relating to measures made on the basis of the course evaluations. Results are made available to students (HF 1:14)
Interim rules
If a course is no longer offered or has undergone major changes, students are offered two re-take sessions based on the syllabus in force at registration during a period of one year from the date of the implementation of the changes.