This module is a core module in the Human Geography Field. It can also be taken as an option module by students studying in other fields provided they have taken either Social and Cultural Geographies, Contours of Global Capitalism or Regional Geographies.
The module reviews current perspectives on notions and understandings of what constitutes urban spaces and approaches to studying urban environments, exploring critical perspectives and intervention strategies that construct these environments.
It also explores the relationship between urban form and identity and questions the links between cultural practices and concepts of community, with a particular focus on social processes, urban spaces and design within the built environment.
Additionally, after completing this module, students should have further developed their ability to make and record accurate observations in the field; present conclusions in a logical, intelligible manner; and increased their ability to work as a part of a team.
On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
This module examines the rationale for the existence of cities, explains how the landscapes of the contemporary city has been shaped by processes of capitalist competition and views spatial and social uneven development as a necessary outcome. The course explores how the size and density of cities creates complex social networks of association and support, and accompanying dynamics of racial, ethnic, and class segregation. These processes are viewed in terms of their relationship with the built environment and how the dialectic between social practice and urban form has evolved. To illustrate this, the module will critically evaluate the role of different communities within the production of the urban environment, professional stakeholder interaction and interventions that have emerged from urban politics. This will be achieved through theoretical analysis, practitioner exposure, field visits and real life examples, which will ultimately allow students to be able to appreciate the complexity of organising and governing urban environments.
The module is delivered through a variety of lectures , field visits, independent learning, group work and flexible seminar sessions. The lectures will employ a range of multi-media techniques, including student participation focusing upon key aspects of the course. The participation will be both question and answer sessions and group debate. The seminar series will focus on developing the students' individual knowledge, projects and presenting results of independent study. Students will deliver their own seminars as well as sitting a seen examination which will test their knowledge and understanding of urban theories. In the final weeks of the module time will be devoted to student projects, group work and presentations and feedback, based on written and verbal exchanges. The assessment of the course will explore intuitive levels of learning and will primarily focus on assessing deep learning and critical evaluation of practical and abstract concepts.
| Definitive UNISTATS Category | Indicative Description | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled learning and teaching | 18 two hour key note lectures 12 two hour seminars 30 hours field work/external visits 20 hours project supervision including rehearsal and performance activities – this will be timetabled as small scale group work activities | 36 24 20 20 |
| Guided independent study | Student independent study | 200 |
| Total (number of credits x 10) | 300 | |
Assessment is based upon coursework and examination comprising of three elements: a group presentation, an individual report and an in class seen test. The in class test will be based on a seen paper designed to challenge knowledge and understanding of key urban theories. The presentation and report will focus on a real world project and will develop and consolidate practical and applied skills in relation to urban design and management. Formative individual seminar presentations are designed to develop further understanding of basic conceptual issues in urban geography, whilst preparing students for the in class seen test.
The course work will be evenly distributed across the year with the first element being the seen in class test undertaken towards the end of teaching block 1, the real world project work will take place during teaching block 2 with a group presentation towards the end of the module and final report due in after the end of the module.
Formative assessment, feedforward and feedback will be delivered through seminars, lectures, project supervision and during external visits and fieldwork. This will provide regular and detailed opportunities for students to develop an awareness of their rate and level of progress and of their strengths and weaknesses. On-going discussion via the module team will assist the student in the development of strategies for improvement and enhancement.
| Learning Outcome | Assessment Strategy |
|---|---|
| 1) Interpret how urban landscapes are an integral part of social and cultural development | Formative assessment in seminars, lectures and fieldwork. Individual report, group presentation and response to in class test. |
| 2) Explain the manner in which the built environment interplays with life styles and social processes, including exclusion and inclusion | Formative assessment in seminars, lectures and fieldwork. Individual report, group presentation and response to in class test. |
| 3) Critically appraise the meaning of community and in the context of urban environments | Individual report, group presentation and response to in class test. Formative assessment during fieldwork discussions and external real world formative assignment. |
| 4) Appreciate the manner in which representation, image, performance, and practice reproduce and alter the development of urban space | Individual report, group presentation and response to in class test. Formative assessment during fieldwork discussions and formative seminar assessment. |
| 5) Recognise the borders, both real and imagined, between divisions of urban space | Formative assessment in seminars and lectures. Individual report, group presentation and response to in class test. |
| 6) Understand the management and production of urban space through formal and informal urban governance and different levels of participation | Formative assessment during fieldwork discussions and external real world formative assignment. Individual report, group presentation and response to in class test. |
| Description of Assessment | Definitive UNISTATS Categories | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Group presentation | Practical examination | 30 |
| Report | Coursework | 30 |
| In Class seen exam | Exam | 40 |
| Total (to equal 100%) | 100% | |
It is a requirement that the major category of assessment is passed in order to achieve an overall pass for the module.
Circulation and the city : essays on urban culture, Montreal, Montreal : McGill-Queen's University Press: 2010
The city reader, Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY, Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY : Routledge: 2011
Latham, A. (2009) Key concepts in urban geography. Sage: London.