| Unit name | Cities and Public Policy |
|---|---|
| Unit code | SPOL30091 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Sweeting |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | School for Policy Studies |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
Why is this unit important?
Now that more than half the world’s population lives in urban areas, this unit examines contemporary issues facing cities and the policy responses to them. The unit will consider contemporary global trends as they impact on urban areas, such as urbanisation, globalisation and climate change, and the capacity of cities to respond to them via place-based policy. More locally embedded processes and trends which are apparent in urban areas and impact on urban communities, such as gentrification, urban inequality and poverty, will also be considered. The unit will examine the potential of cities to be ‘sustainable’ and ‘resilient’, analyse how cities are led and are governed, and how citizens and communities might take part in processes of democracy and governance where they live. Underlying the unit are deeper questions related to the nature and distribution of power, and inclusion and exclusion in urban areas.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study
This is an optional third year unit for Social Policy and International Social and Public Policy that enables you to consider public and social policy issues in a specifically urban context.
An overview of content
The unit draws from across disciplines of urban politics, urban sociology and urban geography to focus on a variety of urban issues related to: urbanisation, how cities are governed, led, and how people are (and aren’t) involved in decisions about them; attempts to be sustainable and resilient in the face of climate change; how cities become gentrified, how they can be regenerated, how they might be ‘smart’, and how they impact on people’s health. The unit considers the potential of place-based policy to address the issues with which cities are faced.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
You will become aware of a variety of global and local processes operating on cities. You will be able to perceive urban processes as they play out below the national level in urban contexts. You will be able to articulate potential solutions to the problems faced in urban areas.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
Teaching will consist of lectures, independent learning activities, and interactive seminars. Independent activities will involve structured reading, engagement with audio/visual resources, and analysis of various written data sources. Seminars will include discussion, debate, and the sharing of learning. You will be encouraged to engage with policy areas that are of interest to you.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
Formative learning will take place in seminars which will help prepare you for the summative assessment task.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
Case study (3000 words) (100%)
The assessment covers all the intended learning outcomes.
When assessment does not go to plan
Subject to the university regulations for taught programmes, you may be offered an opportunity for reassessment. This will comprise a task of the same format as the original assessment.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. SPOL30091).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
