| Unit name | Understanding Urban Society |
|---|---|
| Unit code | SPOL30023 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Professor. Bridge |
| Open unit status | Open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | School for Policy Studies |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
This unit focuses primarily on how cities develop and change, how scholars have theorised and explained these changes, and how urban society is fashioned by economic, political and cultural phenomena. It stresses that urban studies is at root an interdisciplinary field of inquiry (indeed, this is what makes it so fascinating and vibrant), and readings will be drawn from, among other subjects, sociology, political economy, anthropology, psychology and philosophy. The course beings by introducing the richness and diversity of urban theory, before grounding those theories into two fields: division: cities of conflict, domination and resistance; and difference: the numerous ways in which cities are visualised, experienced and understood. In short, this unit is as much about key issues in cities as it is about the contemporary analysis of cities.
