URBAN STUDIES
RICHARD V. BUTLER, Ph.D., Professor, Economics
CHRISTINE DRENNON, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Sociology and Anthropology; Director
L. TUCKER GIBSON, Ph.D., Professor, Political Science
EUGENIO D. SUAREZ, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Business Administration
SHERYL R. TYNES, Ph.D., Professor, Sociology and Anthropology; Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs
Urban Studies is an interdisciplinary field that focuses on the global phenomenon of urbanization. The program incorporates a wide variety of disciplinary approaches to the study of cities around the world. Students may choose an Urban Studies major to explore the city from a diversity of perspectives, or to prepare for a career in one of the many fields that touch on urban life. Urban Studies majors have extensive interaction with the city in research, class projects, and internships.
THE MAJOR
The requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Arts with a major in Urban Studies are as follows:
I. The common curriculum
II. Specific degree requirements (33 semester hours total):
A. The Core Curriculum (6 semester hours)
URBS/SOCI 1310 The Urban Experience
URBS 3370 Applied Urban Studies
B. Methods Requirement (3 semester hours):
All urban studies majors must take one “methods” class from the following list. With the approval of their advisors, students will choose the course most appropriate to their own interests in the field.
BUSN 2301/ECON 2320 (Statistics for Management and Economics)
URBS/SOCI 3365 (Research Methods: GIS)
URBS/SOCI 3360 (Research Methods: Social Statistics)
SOCI 3353 (Research Methods: Fieldwork)
HIST 3381 (Historians and Their Craft)
GEOS 3308 (GIS and Remote Sensing)
C. Concentration Requirement (15 semester hours):
Students must complete 15 semester hours from one of the following concentrations:
The Urban Design concentration prepares students for graduate programs in urban planning, architecture and landscape architecture, and for careers in planning, building, and design.
The Urban Environment concentration is intended for students seeking an interdisciplinary approach to the environmental issues that arise in urban areas. It leads to graduate programs in environmental studies and public policy, and to careers in environmental analysis and policy.
The Urban Issues and Policy concentration prepares students for graduate programs in public policy, social work, and many of the social sciences, and for careers in non-profit organizations, education, government, and consulting.
The Urban Management concentration is intended for students who wish to pursue graduate study in public administration and careers in city governance and management.
Concentration Lists:
Urban Design:
Two of
ARTH 3352 (19th Century Architecture and Urbanism)
ARTH 3364 (20th Century Architecture and Urbanism)
ARTH 3365 (Contemporary Architecture)
GEOS 1304 (Environmental Geology)
Three of
ECON/URBS 3340 (Economics and the Environment)
ECON/URBS 3334 (Urban Economics)
HIST 3382/URBS 3305 (The City in History)
SOCI/URBS 3340 (Urban Geography)
Urban Environment:
Two of
ECON 3323 (The Economics of Government)
ECON/URBS 3330 (Economics and the Environment)
PLSI 3313 (Policy Analysis and the Policymaking Process)
Two of
BIOL 3434 (Ecology)
ENVI 4394 (Environmental Studies Capstone Experience)
GEOS 1304 (Environmental Geology)
GEOS 2304 (Earth Surfaces Processes)
One of
ANTH 2357 (Humans and the Environment)
HIST 3382/URBS 3305 (The City in History)
HIST 4360 (Environmental History)
Urban Issues and Policy:
Two of
HCAD 3350 (The U.S. Healthcare System)
SOCI 2314 (Social Problems and Human Values)
SOCI 3324 (Crime and Development)
SOCI/URBS 3340 (Urban Geography)
Two of
ECON 3323 (The Economics of Government)
ECON/URBS 3330 (Economics and the Environment)
ECON/URBS 3334 (Urban Economics)
PLSI 3313 (Policy Analysis and Policymaking)
PLSI 3316/URBS 3336 (Comparative Urban Governance)
The fifth course may be chosen from either list.
Urban Management:
ACCT 1301 (Financial Accounting)
ACCT 1302 (Managerial Accounting)
MGMT 2301 (Management of Organizations)
One of
ECON/URBS 3334 (Urban Economics)
PLSI 3316/URBS 3336 (Comparative Urban Governance)
One of
FNCE 3301 (Financial Administration of Business Firms)
HCAD 3383 (Management of Health Care Organizations)
MGMT 3371 (Human Resources Management)
D. Elective Requirement (6 semester hours):
In addition to the concentration requirements, urban studies majors must complete an additional 6 hours of courses chosen from any of the concentration or methods lists, or from the additional courses listed below.
FNCE 3351 (Financial Institutions and Markets)
GEOS 3411 (Hydrology)
PLSI 3314 (Bureaucratic Politics)
SOCI/URBS 1316 (Places and Regions in Global Context)
SOCI/URBS 2328 (Social Inequality)
SOCI/ANTH 3327 (Contemporary Minorities)
SOCI/URBS 3332 (Sociology of Health and Illness)
SOCI 3337 (Organizations: Private, Public and Popular)
SOCI 3339 (The Welfare State)
URBS 3-88 (Urban Studies Internship)
URBS 3-89 (Urban Studies Practicum)
URBS 3-90 (Independent Study)
URBS 4391 (Special Topics in Urban Studies)
A GIS course is strongly recommended for those intending to pursue graduate studies. Alternative courses may be substituted for the courses on the concentration, methods, and elective lists with the consent of the advisor.
D. Distribution Requirement:
No more than 12 of the hours used to satisfy the major requirements (including cross-listed courses) may come from any one department.
E. The Senior Experience (3 semester hours)
URBS 4394 (Senior Seminar)
III. Electives sufficient to total 124 semester hours.
THE MINOR
Students may complete a minor in Urban Studies by meeting the following requirements:
I. Completion of 18 semester hours of Urban Studies courses, including:
A. URBS/SOCI 1310 The Urban Experience
B. Urban Studies electives (15 semester hours) chosen from the Concentration, Methods, and Electives lists above.
C. Additional Requirements:
1. At least 9 hours of the total must be in upper-division courses.
2. No more than 12 of the hours used to satisfy the minor requirements (including cross-listed courses) may come from any one department.
3. At least 9 hours of the total must come from URBS courses (including cross-listed courses).
4. No more than 3 hours of URBS 3-88/3-89 may be used to meet the minor requirements.
COURSES
URBS 1310 The Urban Experience
An introduction to the city, its origins, contemporary form, and likely future. The course will present the city and urban phenomena in both the American context and other national environments. The major emphasis will be placed on understanding the physical, social, economic, and political systems that create and sustain urban areas. (Also listed as SOCI 1310.)
URBS 1316 Places and Regions in Global Context
A study of the complex ways in which modern social organization materializes geographically. Topics include the distribution and movement of human populations, characteristics and distribution of cultural mosaics, patterns of economic interdependence, and the forces of cooperation and conflict among peoples from both global and local perspectives. (Also listed as SOCI 1316.)
URBS 2328 Social Inequality
A study of the stratification of American society in terms of the unequal distribution of wealth, status, and power. Theories on the origin and development of social classes as well as of the functional necessity of social inequality will be examined along with empirical works dealing with inequality. (Also listed as SOCI 2328.)
URBS 3305 The City in History
Cross-cultural examination of urban life in the pre-industrial and industrial cities of Asia, Europe, and the Americas from a historical perspective with special emphasis on the U.S. urban experience. Lecture and discussion format. (Also listed as HIST 3382.)
URBS 3330 Economics and the Environment
The economic problem of coping with a finite environment. Study of the interrelationships among economic growth, environmental quality, urban concentration, and resource constraints. Economic analysis of pollution control and other environmental policy problems. (Also listed as ECON 3330.)
Prerequisite : ECON 1311.
URBS 3332 Sociology of Health and Illness
A study of the social and cultural definitions of health and illness, social sources of illness, social roles of the “sick,” the nature of the illness experience, and the structure of societal institutions that deal with health and illness. (Also listed as SOCI 3332.)
URBS 3334 Urban Economics
Analytical study of the reasons for cities to exist, the location of economic activity, the economic base of urban areas and the functioning of urban land markets. Economic analysis of selected urban policy issues such as local economic development, zoning and growth controls, housing, transportation, poverty, crime, and the provision of local public services. Attention is paid to the urban experience outside as well as within the U.S. (Also listed as ECON 3334)
Prerequisites: ECON 1311, and three hours of upper-division credit in either Urban Studies or Economics.
URBS 3336 Comparative Urban Governance
Cross-national analyses of the evolution of current functions and structures of city governments; bureaucratic power and other contemporary issues in urban governance; political parties and associations, interest groups, and citizen participation in urban politics; business and third sector involvement in urban governance; and recurring patterns in the political policy outputs of major institutions involved in urban governance. (Also listed as PLSI 3316.)
Prerequisites: PLSI 1301 or 1303 or consent of instructor.
URBS 3340 Urban Geography
This course examines the history and contemporary processes of urbanization, primarily in the North American context. In particular, we are concerned with the geography of these processes, resulting in differentiation of space and the creation of distinct places. We will examine the geography of urbanization at several scales, ranging from the development of the North American urban system to the experiences of neighborhoods within cities. (Also listed as SOCI 3340.)
URBS 3360 Research Methods: Applied Social Statistics
This course provides a hands-on approach for learning how to undertake quantitative social research focused on the design and completion of a semester-long research project. A variety of statistical tools are addressed, including descriptive statistics, tests of significance, and linear regression and correlation. The course goals emphasize writing and rewriting, learning how to formulate and test research hypotheses, and understanding how to present results in an accurate and effective manner. (Also listed as ANTH 3360 and SOCI 3360.)
Prerequisite: ANTH 3359 or SOCI 3359 or consent of instructor.
URBS 3365 Research Methods: GIS
This course provides a hands-on approach for learning how to undertake spatial social research focused on the design and completion of a semester-long research project. Spatial tools introduced emphasize geographic information systems. The course goals include map making and the integration of information technology and cartography. (Also listed as ANTH 3365 and SOCI 3365.)
Prerequisite: ANTH 3359 or SOCI 3359 or consent of instructor.
URBS 3370 Applied Urban Studies
This course combines the academic study of Urban Studies with a service learning component; classroom work will be integrated with off-campus internships.
Prerequisites: URBS 1310 and Urban Studies major, or consent of instructor.
URBS 3-88 Urban Studies Internship
Field-work experience in a setting approved by the student, professor, and the organization selected. Supervision and guidance will be provided by the host organization and the professor. This course must be taken on a graded basis.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
URBS 3-89 Urban Studies Practicum
Field-work experience in a setting approved by the student, professor, and the organization selected. Supervision and guidance will be provided by the host organization and the professor. This course must be taken on a Pass/Fail basis.
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
URBS 3-90 Independent Study
Independent study in selected areas. 1 to 6 hours.
Prerequisites: 6 advanced hours in Urban Studies or consent of instructor.
URBS 4391 Special Topics in Urban Studies
Announcement of each course will be by prospectus. May be repeated when topics vary.
URBS 4394 Senior Seminar
Review of urban systems theory. Students will write and discuss papers on topics that involve synthesis of substantial portions of the urban system. They will have the opportunity to organize, integrate, and extend their knowledge of urban systems and urbanization. This course fulfills the Senior Experience requirement of the University’s Common Curriculum.
Prerequisite: Senior standing.