Core Courses
Urban Studies 200 / Geography 250, Cities
Urban Studies 400, Seminar in Urban Studies
Upper-Division Urban Courses
Students in the Urban Studies program usually take Urban Studies 200 in their second year, along with required courses for their chosen departmental major. In the third and fourth years, students take a total of 24 credits of urban-oriented courses (which may include courses offered in the student’s major), and then complete Urban Studies 400. Courses offered in the 2005-2006 year that qualify as urban-oriented include those listed below; other courses may be counted toward the 24-credit requirement with the approval of the Urban Studies Program Chair. Some of the courses listed below have prerequisites or other restrictions. Consult the course calendar, the relevant department, or the course instructor before registering.
The role of architecture within the development of the modern state. A survey of broad cultural dynamics, particular building projects and design careers.
An examination of new requirements imposed on architecture by the consolidation of a capitalist economy, industrialization, new technologies and scientific methods.
The sources (literary, epigraphical and other) for Athens' emergence as one of the two leading city-states in late archaic and classical Greece and the stages by which her empire grew.
Economic analysis applied to problems of land use. Rent theory. Land valuation. Land conservation. Techniques for assessing economic efficiency of land use. Effects of institutions and public policies on land use.
From the origins of urbanism to the modern era.
City systems and theories of urban location; internal spatial structure of the city; commercial and industrial location; social areas; neighbourhood and land use change; urban trends and public policy.
Urbanization in the developing countries of Latin America, Africa, and Asia; the role of cities in the development process and the features and problems of rapid urbanization.
Forms of economic development; changing location of economic activities and functions; implications for government and politics; local strategies for growth and equity.
Individual or group primary research. Instructor and content vary and it may be offered over 2 terms. Details available from Geography Undergraduate Advisor from April 1preceding the course. Not necessarily offered each year.
The complex interrelations between film and the city; dominant urban theories, film technologies and viewing practices and the intersections between them.
Theories of social change in the global city; labour markets; poverty and inequality; social polarization; housing markets; gentrification and housing affordability; immigration and segregation; diversity and multiculturalism; transnationalism; the entrepreneurial state; the convivial city.
A survey of Canadian society from colonial times to post-industrialization through the lenses of race, class, and gender. Topics include colonialism, slavery, immigration, religion, industrialization, citizenship, sexuality, social movements, and moral regulation.
Key moments and themes in late-nineteenth-century United States history, including Reconstruction, urbanization, immigration and westward movement, leisure and consumer culture, and nation-building.
Introduction to managed systems and concepts of sustainability; economic, ecological and social components; managed landscapes, agri-food systems, and communities; urban and rural systems; the land, food, nutrition and human health continuum.
The material manifestations of urbanism in the ancient Near East, from the 4th millennium BC up to the 1st millennium BC.
Evolution, practice and future of urban planning and development, with emphasis on institutional arrangements, housing, transportation, urban design and development control. For third- and fourth-year undergraduate students interested in urban planning.
Local and regional political institutions and processes in Canada, with particular attention to those of Vancouver and other British Columbia localities.
Study of the organization of human communities; a focus upon collective activities including family, work, neighbourhood, and formal and informal networks.
Physical, social, and economic aspects of built environments, including housing and community planning.
Demographic, behavioural, and organizational aspects of urban structures and of urbanization in different societies and periods.
Other Urban Courses
While the urban courses below do not qualify for the upper-division requirement, they may still be of interest if you have room in your second-year schedule.
An integrated approach to the physical and human geography of the Lower Mainland of British Columbia. Field trips.
Descriptive and analytic survey of such features as demographic characteristics, class structure, ethnicity, and regional variation in Canadian society as a basis for understanding current social issues.
Crime as a social phenomenon, with emphasis on the changing definitions of crime in relation to social and political change in Canadian and other societies. The scope and nature of the crime problem, the growth of criminology as a science and profession, and relationships between components of state criminal justice systems.
Feminist theory and practice, focusing on contemporary issues.
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"One by one, many of the working class quarters of London have been invaded by the middle classes--upper and lower. Shabby, modest mews and cottages--two rooms up and two down--have been taken over, when their leases expired, and have become elegant, expensive residences. Larger Victorian houses, downgraded in an earlier or recent period--which were used as lodging houses or were otherwise in multiple occupation--have been upgraded once again...Once this process of 'gentrification' starts in a district it goes on rapidly until all or most of the original working class occupiers are displaced and the social character of the district is changed." Ruth Glass (1964). "Introduction: Aspects of Change" in London: Aspects of Change, Centre for Urban Studies (Ed.), London: MacKibbon and Kee, pp. xviii-xix.