Introduction to urban studies 4208-ITUS-OG

The aim of the course is to acquaint its participants with the basic themes, theories and concepts in the field of interdisciplinary urban studies.
The course comprises seven three-hour sessions, taking place every fortnight. Every session begins with a documentary film screening, which then serves as the empirical basis for a class discussion. Selected cases, including Detroit, Bogotá, Lagos or Tallinn, allow the participants to nurture their awareness of the diversity of urban experiences in various cultural, political and economic contexts; they also provide the empirical starting point for “testing” the efficacy of concepts in urban studies. The confrontation of theory-driven academic texts with the trajectories of selected cities will help the participants to learn how to select and apply appropriate theoretical tools for the analysis of given cases. The seminar is open to students from a wide range of backgrounds, including social sciences, economics, natural sciences and the humanities.

Type of course

general courses

Mode

Classroom

Course coordinators

Kacper Pobłocki

Assessment criteria

Attendance and active participation in the sessions (20%), one presentation of a prescribed text (30%) and either an oral exam or a term paper (50%).

Bibliography

Required readings:

• Mike Davis, 2010. Who Will Build the Arc?, “New Left Review”, Vol. 61.
• Laurent Fourchard, 2011. Lagos, Koolhaas and Partisan Politics in Nigeria, “International Journal of Urban and Regional Research”, Vol. 35/1, p. 40–56.
• David Harvey, 2010. The Enigma of Capital. London.
• David Harvey, 2012. Rebel Cities. London.
• James Holston, 2008. Insurgent Citizenship. Princeton.
• Frederic Jameson, 2003. Future City, “New Left Review”, Vol. 21, p. 65-79.
• Roger Keil, Rianne Mahon, Leviathan Undone? Towards a Political Economy of Scale. Toronto.
• Henri Lefebvre, 2014. The Urban Revolution. Minneapolis.
• Isidro López, Emmanuel Rodríguez, 2011. The Spanish Model, “New Left Review”, Vol 69, p. 5-28.
• Margit Mayer, 2011. The 'Right to the City' in Urban Social Movements; in Mayer, Brenner, Marcuse (eds.) “Cities for People, Not for Profit”. London.
• Marcus Power, 2012. Angola 2025: The Future of the “World's Richest Poor Country” as Seen through a Chinese Rear-View Mirror, “Antipode”, Vol. 44/3, p. 993–1014.
• Ananya Roy, 2009. The 21st-Century Metropolis: New Geographies of Theory, “Regional Studies”, Vol. 43/6, pp. 819-830.
• Saskia Sassen, 2008. Mortgage Capital and its Particularities: a New Frontier for Global Finance, “Journal of International Affairs”, Vol. 62/1, p. 187-212.
• Saskia Sassen, 2010. When the City Itself Becomes a Technology of War, “Theory, Culture & Society”, Vol. 27/6, p. 33-50.
• Neil Smith, 2002. New Globalism, New Urbanism: Gentrification as Global Urban Strategy, “Antipode”, Vol. 34/3, p. 427–450.
• Brian Stone, 2012. The City and the Coming Climate: Climate Change in the Places We Live. Cambridge.

Additional information

Information on level of this course, year of study and semester when the course unit is delivered, types and amount of class hours - can be found in course structure diagrams of apropriate study programmes. This course is related to the following study programmes:

Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system:

Description of 4208-ITUS-OG in USOSweb