Module Catalogue 2025/26

Pre Requisite Comment

N/A

Co Requisite Comment

N/A

Aims

The module aims
•       to provide students with an overview of key debates and themes in urban geography
•       to help students to understand cities across the globe and the future directions
•       to encourage students to approach urban questions as critical independent thinkers

This module is in a broad interdisciplinary area, and though located in geography it is interested in broader urban studies. Our module will ask big questions about urban life globally, looking to learn from a wide range of case studies and theoretical positions. It offers a chance to think across cultural, social, economic and political themes, emphasising an engagement with cutting edge research.

As well as geography, the module may appeal to students from: programmes in Politics and Sociology; Cross-Cultural Communication (and related degrees, in ECLS); Education: International Perspectives (ECLS); Planning and Environment Research; Advanced Landscape Planning and Management (APL); Sustainability Leadership (School X); Media, Society and Cultural Studies (SACS); Law and Society; International Law and Global Challenges (Law).

Outline Of Syllabus

The module is structured around big global interdisciplinary questions for cities, and will therefore appeal to students with international interests. We will explore how urbanists in multiple disciplines have understood contemporary global challenges drawing on both past and present scholarship. Big questions will be explored through real-life examples in both global north and global south cities. The module will encourage students to develop their own answers which will allow them to understand these challenges.

Seminar topics may include:
•       How do cities learn and grow?
•       Which cities matter?
•       What do cities look like?
•       How do we know cities?
•       Who tells cities what to do?
•       How are cities connected?
•       What makes cities exciting and scary?
•       Who profits in cities?
•       What lives in cities?
•       How do people move around?

Intended Knowledge Outcomes

Upon completion of the module, students will be able to:
- Be familiar with a range of major debates in urban studies and urban geography
- Critically understand the limits of urban knowledge, and the literature that challenges dominant positions
- Apply knowledge of these debates and literatures to the challenges that cities will face in the coming years

Intended Skill Outcomes

Upon completion of the module, students will be able to:
- Plan and write deliverable product
- Summarize and discuss complex ideas in oral formats
- Build a team and engage in teamwork
- Produce a concise written deliverable for a professional audience

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

Our approach is centered on student-led seminars. Seminars will begin with a short introductory lecture from teaching staff, and a student-presentation to inform discursive activities which draw from key readings. Staff will allocate students to introductory presentations in different weeks, ensuring a diversity of voices. Students will be expected to read journal articles and/or book chapters and share the main arguments of each paper and their critical reflections to help explore each week's challenge. Through this learning, students will become familiar with a range of major debates in urban studies and urban geography, critically understand the limits of urban knowledge, and the literature that challenges dominant positions, and apply knowledge of these debates and literatures to the challenges that cities will face in the coming years. Discussion activities will include varied tasks that encourage active learning through students leading the discussion and discovering key ideas together.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The presentation is tied closely to the learning and teaching, following logically from the weekly seminar presentations. Students will get informal formative feedback on weekly presentations, and will collectively benefit from viewing others’ presentations before the assessed session. The groupwork will support the team building learning outcomes, and the need to produce a deliverable.

The abstract will be produced in response to a fictional call for papers for a conference on city futures. As a short written assessment it will provide students with an opportunity to convey complex ideas succinctly for an imagined professional audience. This will support the learning outcomes of being able to approach urban research critically.

General Notes

N/A