Requirements
How your final grade is calculated
Class attendance and participation
10% Moodle responses
10% Four essay sets
60% Case-study city 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
Attendance and participation are required for this course. Absence in more than two classes will harm your final grade, as will repeated failure to take part in class discussions and group exercises (in classroom and on Moodle). Come to class with the required readings (printed out or on laptop), having read and annotated them by their assigned dates. Attendance at Urban Studies lectures or other extracurricular events posted on the schedule is expected unless you have conflicting courses or required events.
A note about using technology in this course: I'm happy to let you use laptops and iPads to do the electronic readings and to take notes in class. Be conscientious when using these devices. If you find your reading comprehension suffers because you don't have a hard copy to write notes on, then print the electronic readings out. And please limit your use of laptops and iPads in the classroom to note-taking and internet browsing of course materials only. If your use of these technologies distracts yourself, other students or me, you'll be asked to turn off your wi-fi or your device.
Moodle responses
Each week, a third of the class will write 200-300 words reflecting on some part of that week's readings, from one selection to all the pieces we read for the whole week. These writings are to be posted onto Moodle by Sunday at 11:59pm, so that the rest of the class (instructor included) can read them before Tuesday's class.
Essay sets
On October 1, October 29, and December 3, you'll turn in 4-6 pages of essays that respond to questions drawn from the readings and lectures. Note: the second essay set requires you participate in one of the three Saturday survey days scheduled on October 12, 19, and 26.
Case-study city paper
On December 15 (the last day of the study period), you'll write a 4-6 page paper about a city of your choice. The paper will incorporate your original research on this city and analyze it through at least one theoretical framework — a concept, historical model, evaluative framework, or theoretical statement that has either been presented in class (through a different city than the one you're writing about) or that you have found elsewhere.