spring 2003 courses
Syllabi not found online are available in binders in the Urban Studies office, Room 130 McNeil Building. (Note: When registering, use department code 657 for Urban Studies) URBS-009 Writing About Culture in the City (Cytrynbaum) How do civic, educational, and community based institutions as well as other economic interests officially organize the city? How do individuals and groups actively make use and meaning from the urban landscape in which they live, work, and play? Juxtaposing these two questions suggests an interesting tension between the formal and the informal in the everyday life of cities. To understand this tension, this course will explore Philadelphia from a cultural perspective. Specifically, students will be introduced to theories of culture and basic methods of cultural analysis. We will read several ethnographies (descriptions and interpretations of cultural activities) as well as memoirs and essays about living and working in cities. Students will also conduct original ethnographic fieldwork around campus and the city. We will look critically at a range of cultural practices, from the everyday cultural performances of young people as they move through the city creating and inhabiting spaces, for example skateboarding or roller-blading around the Art Museum steps, to the culture of bike messengers. We will also consider more spectacular events and activities, ranging from parades, protests, block parties, and public community performances to drama, dance, and music performance venues throughout Philadelphia. In this course, we will look at these and other cultural performances and processes as a window to the reproduction and transformation of power relations in the city. We will pay particular attention to how people contest racial, class, and gender-based forms of inequality through cultural activities. Through writing activities that integrate course readings and fieldwork, students will reflect on how they are coming to know and understand cities and urban issues. Together, we will develop as a community of writers who rigorously explore how arguments and meaning are made in and through texts. This course will be particularly useful to students new to Philadelphia, as we will spend time exploring and writing about a variety of local performance venues, neighborhoods, issues, and events. URBS-078/AFAM-078/HIST-214 Urban-University Community Relations (Harkavy) This seminar will provide students with an overview of major theories about the role, present condition, and likely future of local communities in modern societies. It will then focus specific attention on “the problem of American cities” in the late 20th century and consider the role of metropolitan universities in helping to alleviate these problems. Students in the seminar will identify a specific West Philadelphia/Philadelphia problem and write a paper specifying what Penn can realistically do to help solve that problem. Most students enroll in the course to combine theory with activity in local public schools. URBS-104/HIST-153 Urban Crisis (Kahan) The first part of this course traces the economic, demographic, and spatial transformation of modern American cities. The second part examines the consequences of urban transformation for politics, society, and institutions. The course format combines lectures, films and discussions. URBS-110 Crime & Punishment (Schneider) How have definitions of crime and forms of punishment changed over time? What have been the uses and legacy of extra-legal violence? How have the forms of crime and punishment reflected the structure of American society? Using both historical and contemporary texts, this seminar will explore these and other questions and in the process analyze the development of juvenile justice, the organization of corrections, the application of the death penalty, and the rise of the drug economy. URBS-112/SOCI-011 Urban Sociology (Hodos) A comprehensive introduction to the sociological study of cities. Topics will include theories of urbanism, methods of research, migration, history of cities, gentrification, poverty, urban policies, suburbanization and globalization. Philadelphia will be used as a recurring example, though the course will devote attention to the cities around the U.S. and the world. URBS-114/AFAM-112/SOCI-112/WSTD-114 Discrimination: Sexual & Racial (Madden) This course explores the sources of current differences in economic status by race, ethnicity and gender. First, we explore reasons for race and gender economic differences that are not due to current discrimination. We examine the history of participation in the U.S. economy for various racial and ethnic groups and evaluate whether that history creates differences in current productivity by race and ethnicity. We examine the effects of family decisions about work within the household on gender differences in labor market productivity. Second, we review economic theories of current discrimination in the labor market. Third, we use data to test how well the various discrimination and non-discrimination theories explain current labor market patterns. Finally, we review the major national policies on labor market discrimination and evaluate their effectiveness in light of the theoretical and empirical evidence amassed throughout the course. URBS/ANTH-139 Ancient Civilizations of the World (Golden) The archaeology of the complex societies of the Old and New worlds from the end of the Paleolithic up to the earliest civilizations. URBS-200 Intro to Urban Research (Stern) This course will examine different ways of undertaking urban research. The goal will be to link substantive research questions to appropriate research methods. Microcomputer based quantitative methods, demographic techniques, and ethnographic approaches will be the primary foci of the course. In addition to classroom assignments, students will have the opportunity to undertake their own research involving micro-based statistical analysis of data files which address relevant and timely public policy issues. URBS-202/EDUC-202 Urban Education (Loder) This course is an introduction to and an overview of many of the key issues confronting urban public schools in America. Urban education is often the most publicized of public school experiences and frequently the least well understood. In this course, we will examine some of the historical, social, and cultural contexts of urban education, as well as look at issues and events directly affecting the Philadelphia public schools. This course will incorporate developmental perspectives on urban youth and explore how issues of developmental-environmental fit have been addressed, or, more often, overlooked by education researchers and policymakers. We will also examine and critique recent reforms and policies which have been designed to remedy the urban public school "crisis." In addition to readings and class discussions, students will have an opportunity to explore these issues through a review of popular media (e.g., films and documentaries on urban schools) and observation and participation in urban public schools. URBS-205/LARP-538 Power of Place: Introduction to Environmental Design (Berman) If the purpose of environmental design is to improve the quality of life, design must be based on an understanding of the relationship between people and environment, as well as the political and social implications of the design process. Not only should students learn how to design, but they should also be able to discern what and why to design. The objectives of this course are threefold. The first is to provide the student with an understanding of how people perceive and use the environment. The second is to have the students investigate the human issues confronted in designing the environment and developing design theory. The third is to inform students about the psychological, social and political aspects of the design process. The objective is neither to turn urban studies majors into architects, landscape architects, or urban designers, nor to turn design majors into urban social scientists. The goal is to make each aware of the potential contribution each can make to the ongoing process of urban development. URBS-206/URBS-506/CPLN-620 The Public Environment of Cities: An Introduction to the Urban Landscape (Hanna) This course will explore the role of public spaces- streets, boulevards, parks and squares- in cities and their social uses. With the University of Pennsylvania campus and the City of Philadelphia serving as our laboratory, we will critically examine the evolution of the movement corridors, open space and buildings of the urban landscape and their changing uses. Case Studies of social spaces on campus and public open spaces in Center City will help inform our understanding of how public environment serves, well or poorly, the varying needs of diverse users. While graphic skills are not required, graphic means as well as writing will be employed to communicate critical thought, ideas, and conclusions. URBS-207/ASAM-205 Asian-American Community Fieldwork (Nair) Through discussions, writing, and a semester-long group project aimed at creating change in the community, participants in this course will build skills and competencies for work in the Asian-American community. All will participate in service projects that promote community leadership development and education. URBS-209/HIST Changing Undergraduate Education (Harkavy) Ever wanted to change something about your education, but didn't know where to start? Ever wanted to learn more about how institutions of higher learning work and how they influence broad social change? This seminar will focus on creating solutions to some of Penn's biggest educational problems by studying both the theory and practice behind changing undergraduate education. Using theories of education, theories of change, and case studies of student-initiated educational reform we will examine such topics as civic engagement, the curriculum, the faculty, research, intellectual community, and Penn's mission. Guest speakers from Penn's administration and faculty will be invited to work with the seminar. The group will meet for two hours each week of seminar time and an additional hour for group meetings. Students will divide themselves into four groups, based on their primary interests, to tackle one of these issues and create concrete solutions to be implemented. The seminar will be facilitated by Robin Bose (Service Magazine), Jacob Cytryn (Chair, Student Committee for Undergraduate Education), Phill Geheb (Vice Chair, Student Committee on Undergraduate Education), and Deidra Stockmann (Penn Program for Public Service Coordinator). URBS-210/HIST-210 The City (Thomas) This multi-disciplinary course brings together important shapers of the city and urban historians to focus on Philadelphia’s past, present and future while exploring different media including novels and movies about the city. Guest lecturers from professional planning firms, nonprofit and public agencies, and other departments in the University will bring their perspectives to the historical, present and future states of the city. Walking tours will take the class to the sites of past and current debates about urban Philadelphia. URBS-213/AFAM-204/ANTH-303 Methods in Urban Ethnography (Fewkes) This course is for students who want training and experience in ethnographic fieldwork. We will learn techniques such as fieldnotes, interviews, participant-observation, and data interpretation, and contextualize these methods within a discussion of anthropological theory. Students will put their skills into practice by doing ethnographic research in Philadelphia. At their fieldsites, they will complete short exercises and eventually write an ethnographic account. URBS-227/HIST-204 Jews and the City (Wenger) Jews have always been an extraordinarily urban people. This seminar explores various aspects of the Jewish encounter with the city, examining the ways that Jewish culture has been shaped by and has helped to shape urban culture. We will focus on both European and American cities and consider Jewish involvement in political and cultural life, the various neighborhoods in which Jews have lived, relations with other ethnic groups, as well as many other topics. URBS-250 Urban Public Policy (Hershberg) An introduction to a broad range of substantive policy areas affecting the city and an exploration into the complexities of policy formulation and implementation in a large and pluralistic metropolitan setting. The course subtitle, "Contemporary Philadelphia: A Case Study," describes our approach. URBS-252 Urban Journalism (Biddle) This course will examine the state of urban journalism today with special emphasis on how large newspapers are redefining themselves, and news, in an era of dwindling readership and growing corporate pressures. The course will look at local television news, photojournalism, alternative weeklies and ethics, and will discuss the techniques journalists use in reporting the news. URBS-300 Fieldwork Seminar (Klugman/Wolfson) Students work 15-20 hours per week field placement and meet weekly with class and instructors. The class is intended to help students reflect from a variety of perspectives on the work that they are doing in their placement organizations. The class format is primarily discussion. Students are required to complete assigned readings, prepare written and oral presentations, and submit a final project. URBS-401 Urban Studies Honors (Simon/Schneider) See director for description. URBS/HIST/AFAM-405/RELS-439 Religion, Social Justice and Urban Development (Lamas) Utilizing a wide range of frameworks and approaches, we will focus on community development in Philadelphia, Camden, Newark, and New York since 1980. We will explore why it is that many of the most successful urban development initiatives (in social services, education, health care, housing and business development) are faith-based. In the context of economic development, we will look at how secular and religious stakeholders compare in their understanding of the ethics of the marketplace, of success and failure, leadership and labor, governance and process, priorities and strategies, ownership and participation, risk and return, poverty and wealth. We will study what criteria we should employ to evaluate faith-based community projects. URBS-409/ANTH-409 Anthropology and Policy (Sabloff) From the inception of the discipline, anthropologists have applied their ethnographic and theoretical knowledge to policy issues concerning the alleviation of practical human problems. This approach has not only benefited peoples in need but it has also enriched the discipline, providing anthropologists with the opportunity to develop new theories and methodologies from a problem-centered approach. The class will examine the connection between anthropology and policy, theory and practice (or ‘praxis’), research and application. We will study these connections by reading about historical and current projects. As an ABCS course, students will also volunteer in an olunteer organization of their choice in the Philadelphia area, conduct anthropological research on the organization, and suggest ways that the anthropological approach might support the efforts of the organization. URBS-430 Spatial Analysis in Urban Studies (Hillier) This course provides students with an understanding of the spatial implications of urban change processes. Students will learn to ask and address questions in urban studies from a spatial perspective, and gain a way to test their theories using GIS (geographic information systems) as an analytic tool. Students in the class will carry out a series of joint projects to investigate urban studies topics, such as housing, population change, social services access, and community organization from a spatial perspective. They will also develop their own research questions and use data to analyze its spatial dimensions. URBS-450 Urban Redevelopment (Gorostiza) This course is divided into three segments: a brief historical background on the origins and changing goals of urban redevelopment; a detailed review of contemporary housing problems and the implementation of program responses by public, private and neighborhood groups; an overview of economic development efforts with a focus on a series of contemporary projects as case studies. The format is that of a seminar, mixing lecture, discussion and guest speakers who are responsible for housing and economic development in the Philadelphia area. The focus is not only on policy choices but on the mechanics of financing, implementation, and attaining employment goals. The course requirements include a take-home, mid-term essay of 5-7 pages, a final case study; and tour of development projects in Philadelphia. URBS-451 The Politics of Housing & Community Development (Kromer) An exploration of how legislative action, government policymaking, and citizen advocacy influence plans for the investment of public capital in distressed urban neighborhoods. The scope and results of City of Philadelphia policies and programs of the past decade, including Mayor John F. Street's Neighborhood Transformation Initiative, will be evaluated. Particular attention will be devoted to the Street Administration's community development plan for Fiscal 2004 as it relates to policy goals such as stimulating private investment and "building from strength" to generate large-scale results. URBS-453/URBS-543 Metropolitan Growth, Poverty & Urban Competitiveness (Black) This course explores the growth of metropolitan regions in the United States during the last half-century and the relevance of those growth patterns for public or private interventions aimed at alleviating poverty and improving a region's ability to compete. We will look at how regions have been shaped and changed by population movement, government policies and practices, changing technology, and housing shifts. The Philadelphia region is used extensively as a case study. We will examine its post-war development as well as current and prospective initiatives that could influence Philadelphia and its suburbs in the future. URBS-454/URBS-554 Information, Public Policy, and the Redevelopment of the City (Nowak/Goldstein) The focus of this seminar is the application of information to the analysis and design of development plans and strategies oriented toward distressed American cities. Extensive use will be made of real estate, economic development, and social indicator data to understand the complex forces at work in both large and small cities. Students will learn to access, analyze, and map information available from a variety of public and private sector data sources. They will learn to frame and interpret urban data within a regional perspective, as well as construct intensive profiles of cities and neighborhoods in order to deepen their understanding of problems, opportunities, and public policy options. Extensive use will be made of data utilized in recent urban redevelopment programs in the Philadelphia region, including the City of Philadelphia's Neighborhood Transformation Initiative and the State of New Jersey's Camden revitalization plans. The seminar is designed for advanced undergraduate urban studies students and graduate planning students. Seminar readings and research will be organized around three themes: 1) history and vision, 2) data and analysis, and 3) policy and implementation. The seminar will be divided into project teams assigned to work on actual policy and development issues that will be reviewed and judged by both public and private sector experts. URBS-459 Philadelphia Politics (Gaige) This course will provide a comprehensive overview of all aspects of Philadelphia politics, including: 1) political subculture, mores, and values; 2) getting elected (including the 2003 primary election); 3) the process of governing; 4) the structure of key political institutions, e.g., wards and committees; 5) the formal institutions of Philadelphia government, e.g., the mayor's office, operating departments such as police and fire, City Council, and the courts; and 6) the role of the local political media. We will analyze public policy issues confronting the government and citizens of Philadelphia, e.g., neighborhood revitalization and the city's ongoing financial challenges. Special attention will be paid to Philadelphia's relationships with both the new governor of Pennsylvania and the incoming state legislature. While the focus of the course is on Philadelphia, we will also examine broader questions that affect cities throughout the country, such as the place of cities in the American federal system. We will have a number of guest speakers throughout the semester, including elected officials, candidates for office, city department heads, local reporters, and neighborhood leaders. URBS-463/ENVS-463/ENVS-663/URBS-663 Brownfield Remediation (Keene) This course is intended to give students an overview of the genesis of the so-called “Brownfield” problem and of the various efforts that our society is taking to try to solve, or at least, ameliorate, it. The course will place the “Brownfield” problem in the broader context of the growth and decline of the industrial base of cities like Philadelphia. Students will study the general constitutional and statutory framework within which we approach the problems of orphan, polluted sites and the disposal of contemporary solid wastes. They will also analyze the principal actions that have been taken by federal and state government to address remediation and redevelopment of abandoned industrial sites. The course will also explore environmental equity issues. URBS-505/GAFL-505 Law for Public Managers (Patusky) This course provides students who intend to work in the public sector with both the general legal framework within which they will operate and a more in-depth analysis of specific issues they will likely face. The first part of the course will address the pillars of the public law framework, including formal federal, state and local government hierarchy of constitutions, legislation regulations, ordinances and institutional rules, and other sources of law (e.g. torts, common law, contracts). The second part will look at public entities, including governments, authorities and nonprofits, their powers and the jurisdictional boundaries and conflicts among them. The final part of the course will cover a series of specific issues, including human resource laws, civil service rules, union and employee contracts, public contracting, conflict of interest and ethics. The course will be part lecture and part discussion. Grading will be based on class participation, brief writing assignments or presentations, and a final examination. URBS-506/CPLN-620 Public Environment of Cities: An Introduction to the Urban Landscape (Hanna) This course will explore the role of public spaces- streets, boulevards, parks and squares- in cities and their social uses. With the University of Pennsylvania campus and the City of Philadelphia serving as our laboratory, we will critically examine the evolution of the movement corridors, open space and buildings of the urban landscape and their changing uses. Case Studies of social spaces on campus and public open spaces in Center City will help inform our understanding of how public environment serves, well or poorly, the varying needs of diverse users. While graphic skills are not required, graphic means as well as writing will be employed to communicate critical thought, ideas, and conclusions. URBS-506/SOCI-530 Race, Colonialism and Methods (Zuberi) This course will explore the role of public spaces- streets, boulevards, parks and squares- in cities and their social uses. With the University of Pennsylvania campus and the City of Philadelphia serving as our laboratory, we will critically examine the evolution of the movement corridors, open space and buildings of the urban landscape and their changing uses. Case Studies of social spaces on campus and public open spaces in Center City will help inform our understanding of how public environment serves, well or poorly, the varying needs of diverse users. While graphic skills are not required, graphic means as well as writing will be employed to communicate critical thought, ideas, and conclusions. URBS-543/URBS-453 Metropolitan Growth, Poverty & Urban Competitiveness (Black) This course explores the growth of metropolitan regions in the United States during the last half-century and the relevance of those growth patterns for public or private interventions aimed at alleviating poverty and improving a region's ability to compete. We will look at how regions have been shaped and changed by population movement, government policies and practices, changing technology, and housing shifts. The Philadelphia region is used extensively as a case study. We will examine its post-war development as well as current and prospective initiatives that could influence Philadelphia and its suburbs in the future. URBS/EDUC-547 Anthropology and Education (Lukose) An introduction to the intent, approach, and contribution of anthropology to the study if socialization and schooling on cross-cultural perspective. Education is examined in traditional, colonial, and complex industrial societies. URBS-554/URBS-454/CPLN-559 Information, Public Policy, and the Redevelopment of the City (Nowak/Goldstein) The focus of this seminar is the application of information to the analysis and design of development plans and strategies oriented toward distressed American cities. Extensive use will be made of real estate, economic development, and social indicator data to understand the complex forces at work in both large and small cities. Students will learn to access, analyze, and map information available from a variety of public and private sector data sources. They will learn to frame and interpret urban data within a regional perspective, as well as construct intensive profiles of cities and neighborhoods in order to deepen their understanding of problems, opportunities, and public policy options. Extensive use will be made of data utilized in recent urban redevelopment programs in the Philadelphia region, including the City of Philadelphia's Neighborhood Transformation Initiative and the State of New Jersey's Camden revitalization plans. The seminar is designed for advanced undergraduate urban studies students and graduate planning students. Seminar readings and research will be organized around three themes: 1) history and vision, 2) data and analysis, and 3) policy and implementation. The seminar will be divided into project teams assigned to work on actual policy and development issues that will be reviewed and judged by both public and private sector experts. URBS-608/HIST-608/SOCI-608 Proseminar in Urban Studies (Katz) This seminar is required for students in the Urban Studies Graduate Certificate Program. They will be given preference for enrollment, which is limited to 15. The seminar extends over two semesters. In order to obtain credit, students must enroll for both semesters. In the first semester, the seminar will discuss a selection of recent interdisciplinary literature on urban issues and introduce students to some of the Penn faculty concerned with urban-related topics. In the second semester, students will write and present a research paper. URBS-633/CPLN-633 Urban Economic Analysis (Wong) Explores relationships among land, and capital as well as public sector intervention in metropolitan context. URBS/FOLK/COML/EDUC-706/ANTH-704 Culture/Power/Identities (Lukose) This course will introduce students to the conceptual language and the theoretical tools to analyze the complex tools of racial, ethnic, gender, sexual, and class difference. The students will critically examine the interrelationships between culture, power, and identities through the recent contributions in cultural studies, critical pedagogy and post-structuralist theory and will explore the usefulness of these ideas for improving their own work as researchers and practitioners. URBS/CPLN-712 Inner City Revitalization (Birch) Review of efforts to maintain and strengthen central cities. Examine the role of leadership and vision. Incorporates a broad definition of economic development as encompassing topics ranging from the arts to zoning |