Dear Undergrads --
I am offering Geog 442: Urban Spaces-Urban Society in Fall 2015 and this could be of interest to many of you. I am attaching a flyer to this message for you to read through the details concerning the topics/issues, text book, work-load expectation, etc.
pertaining to this class. We will be covering many interesting topics in this class as you may all agree that these topics are of contemporary interest to all of us in today's American urban society. This class may be very useful to several of you, and particularly
those who are planning to become human geographers, OR aplying for the graduate school OR planning to get out into the real world and do great & cool jobs iwth the City, Government (federal, state, county, etc.) OR if you are just keen on understanding various
aspects of Why, How, When, Where aspects of socio-spatial variations and perceptions of space(s) -- in the developed world and in the developing world. A flyer is also attached. Feel free to advise your friends/colleagues from other departments as well if
they may be interested in the topics that will be discussed in this class.
Fee free to contact me if you need to discuss more.
Best wishes --
Madhuri
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Geog 442: Urban Spaces-Urban Society
Instructor: Dr. Madhuri Sharma [[log in to unmask]]
At: BurchFiel Geog. Build. # 301; Time: Tues/Thursdays: 11.10 am-12:25 pm
Overview
This course will focus on the social relations and the complex ways in which various elements of human diversity such as race/ethnicity, nationality, culture, class, gender, sexuality, age and education interact with each other and within the built environments to produces spaces and opportunities of difference. Through lectures, class/group-discussions, movie critiques, and short writing assignments, this course will introduce students to the basic concepts of urban spaces and urban society, especially within the context of contemporary USA. We will also read and discuss few case studies from Europe, Latin America and the fast globalizing, newly industrializing and developing countries from Asia and Africa.
· Topics include: Origin of cities and theoretical foundations to contemporary issues surrounding urban restructuring, redevelopment, suburbanization and gentrification, access to and (re)creation of public vs. private spaces, modernism and post-modernism, post-colonial theory, social ramifications of restructuring of the city under capitalism, suburbanization, socio-economic polarization, urban renewal, segregation, urban poverty and uneven development, environmental racism, racial/gender differences in work opportunities, gender & labor segmentation, sexuality, crime, poverty, etc. We will start with important conceptual frameworks on analyzing urban-social/economic patterns, from the Chicago School to the Los Angeles School of Postmodernism & the Market-Led Pluralism.
· Learning Objectives: Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to (i) Describe how the production and consumption of spaces occur due to different levels of interaction among various social groups that are divided based on race, color, class, lifecycle, nationality, religion sexuality, etc., (ii) How & why geography affects the above, (iii) How can you use the various theories/frameworks to explain human mobility and settlements patterns that create varied social & economic landscapes, (iv) Why and how the socio-economic characteristics and skills associated with human beings residing in different regions/locations of the world relate with their economic engagement in certain types of activities & vice-versa that also creates a distinct spatial division of labor and hence a distinct regionality, (v) Recognize and relate to the local, regional, and global changes and challenges through geographic research and technical writing by engaging into writing assignments and in-class
· Work load: Class discussions (w-attendance), Two-three short writing assignments (perception exercise/Home town paper/Article Review), one movie critique, midterm & a final exam (Graduate students will have an additional work load).
· Text/Readings: “The New Urban Sociology” by Gottdiener, Hutchinson and Ryan (5th Edition, 2015) Plus readings posted on Blackboard.