Urban Studies

Urban Studies is grounded in the politics of space and place-making. Examinations of how meaning is imposed on space—and by whom—are crucial to the study of global and transnational urban contexts.

The Urban Studies minor:

• explores the histories of social, economic, and political transformations within urban spaces and within the steady flow of people around the world from rural to urban environments
• examines interpersonal, collective, and structural forms of both peace and conflict that lead to the “urban condition"
• examines the historical and social dynamics that produce “urban life” through power relationships of race, gender, class, sexuality, nation, religion, and more

Within the Urban Studies minor, we explore:

• public art and public practice
• particular manifestations of crime and justice in urban spaces
• the economics of urban wealth and poverty
• the effects of the urban space on individual and community health
• social programs and policies born within and for the urban space
• industrialization and de-industrialization
• geographic thought and imagination
• education
• transnational justice and the global sustainability of urban environments

Urban Studies examines city space as a product of histories and processes initiated by all sorts of actors and bodies, from official state policies to localized collectives and communities. To this end, we encourage experiential learning at any of these levels, and welcome creative approaches to engagement. We support community-engaged learning locally as well as internationally, and we are happy to talk to with you about how to fit Urban Studies into your current field in the most productive and energizing way possible.