Course Description
Theories of inter- and intraurban locations. Procedures in geographical analysis of agglomerated settlements, including demographic, economic, and social attributes.
Athena Title
Intro to Urban Geography
Equivalent Courses
Not open to students with credit in GEOG 3630E
Semester Course Offered
Offered fall and spring
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
Students who successfully complete this course will meet the following learning objectives: A basic understanding of the history of urbanization in the Western world. An understanding of how and why cities take different forms over time, and an ability to detect different layers of urban form in an urban landscape. An understanding of the ways in which technologies of energy, transportation and finance shape both changing opportunities for urban growth and decline and competition amongst cities for economic development. An appreciation of the importance of immigration and racial segregation for the character, form, and economic base of U.S. cities, as well as an ability to distinguish between the effects of different waves of migration on U.S. cities. An ability to identify the influence of different models of governance and planning on the development of U.S. cities. This course meets the following General Education Abilities by accomplishing the specific learning objectives listed below: Communicate effectively through writing. This is met by a series of writing assignments associated with supplemental reading and data analysis. Communicate effectively through speech. This is met by oral presentations, discussion leading, and classroom participation. Computer Literacy is addressed through course administration, student-faculty electronic interaction, and data analysis activities and assignments. Critical Thinking is central to the learning objectives of this class, and is developed through homework assignments, lecture, classroom discussion, and inquiry- based learning efforts. Moral Reasoning (Ethics) is an important element of this course, as it explores linkages among human behaviors, economic development, differential cultural norms, and globalizing forces. Moral reasoning is developed through lectures, writing assignments, classroom discussion, and inquiry-based learning activities.
Topical Outline
An Introduction to Urban Geography The Origins and Development of Cities The Evolution of the American Urban System from The Urban Revolution by H. Lefebvre* from The Image of the City by K. Lynch* Urban Landscape Cities in the Developed World Cities in the Less Developed World Regional Variations in Urban Structure and Form Globalization and the Urban System An Introduction to the Information Age by M. Castells* Telecommunications and the City Urban Land Use: The Changing Functions of Central Business Districts and Suburbanization Landscapes of Production The Urban Process under capitalism: A Framework for Analysis by D. Harvey* The Urbanization of Labor: Living Wage Activism in Los Angeles by A. Merrifield* Slicing the Urban Pie. Models of Social Geography Urban Housing. Blight, Sprawl and Regeneration Segregation, "Race," and Urban Poverty The Racial Origins of Zoning in American Cities by C. Silver* Immigration, Ethnicity, and Urbanism Identity, Difference, and the Geographies of Working Poor Women’s…..M. Gilbert* Critical Considerations of Poverty Introduction to Partners for a Prosperous Athens Partners for a Prosperous Athens Project Metropolitan Governance and Fragmentation Planning the Better City
Syllabus