Requirements
How your final grade is calculated
Class attendance and participation
15% In-class exam
15% Two take-home essay exams
30% Fieldwork report/exam
20% Final paper 20%
Special Note:
Academic accommodations are available for students with disabilities who are registered with the Office of Disability and Support Services. Please schedule an appointment with the instructor early in the semester to discuss any accommodations for this course which have been approved by the Director of Disability and Support Services as indicated in your DSS accommodation letter.
Class attendance and participation
First, regular attendance is a must for this class. Absence in more than two classes will impair your final grade.
Second, as citizens of this class, we all have the responsibility to contribute to the discussion and activities of the class. Failure to participate in class discussion or Blackboard exercises, inability to answer specific questions from the readings and projects, or inadequate involvement in group projects will impair our class’s possibilities for learning, and will lower your participation grade.
In-class exam
On February 8, you will take a closed-book, in-class exam combining short answer and essay questions.
Take-home exams
On March 8 and May 3, you will be given a take-home essay exam that is designed to be finished in 24 hours. You may discuss the essay questions with other students and with me, but the exam cannot be written in collaboration with another person.
Fieldwork report and essay exam
On April 24, you will turn in a 4-5 page report of original fieldwork on a local community or urban park of your choice. Using that report, you will take a short in-class essay exam that asks you to theoretically analyze the community you studied. Further instructions will follow.
Final paper
On a date TBA during finals week, you will turn in a 4-5 page essay on your "Urban Studies manifesto." Identify an urban problem or trend that you believe Urban Studies should address; select 3 disciplinary perspectives and explain how they might investigate this problem or trend methodologically and theoretically; and discuss the intellectual and practical rewards for juxtaposing these disciplines. Based on this discussion, propose a vision of Urban Studies that involves viewing the urban through the multidisciplinary approach you have taken.