Urban syllabus Spring I 2017 PDF

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CUNY LA GUARDIA COMMUNITY COLLEGE URBAN SOCIOLOGY COURSE SYLLABUS, Spring-I-2017 Course Overview: This course will provide students an overview of the development and structure of cities and how the changing nature of cities has impacted the lives of urban dwellers. The course will explore how cities develop from political economy and social psychology perspectives. Students will be exposed to various New York City neighborhoods & examine how various power players determine its structure and quality of life for city residents. This course will also examine the origins, development & structural changes of cities using NYC as an example of basic urban sociological concepts. Course Goals: The major goals of this course are to: (1) familiarize students with how various power players impact the lives of urban dwellers, with particular emphasis on New York City; (2) analyze the changing nature of neighborhoods (3) demonstrate the importance of urban planning from a sociological perspective, and (4) demonstrate the value of basic research when studying urban life, neighborhoods, race/ethnicity, social institutions, and social problems. COURSE NUMBERS AND SECTION: SSN187:1902, 1916 and 1918. INSTRUCTOR: Mr. James R. Walker (e-mail [email protected]) OFFICE HOURS: Thursdays 2:00-3:00 pm C459 REQUIRED TEXT: Experiencing Cities, Mark Hutter, Second or Third Edition. Other materials may be assigned during class. RESEARCH PAPER and Oral Presentation: See page 4 of syllabus (100 points) Course Requirements: Exams and/or quizzes are based on material presented in class and the textbook. Your final grade will be based on: exams, quizzes, homework, written assignments, the research paper and oral presentation, class participation, field trips and attendance. Since this is a writing intensive course, there will be weekly assignments and/or quizzes (50 points each), 2 exams-mid-term & final (100 points each), 1 research paper/presentation (100 points) and 2-field trip (50 points each). Other class assignments & homework may be added at the professor's discretion. Students are expected to complete all assignments and activities on time and to participate in class discussions and attend all classes.

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MAKE-UP EXAMS: Only under emergency situations would a student be permitted to make-up an exam. Should this be necessary, a make-up exam will only be administered immediately following the final exam. A final exam may or may not be scheduled depending on how well students are performing in class. If a final exam is scheduled, students are required to take the final during the designated time slot during exam week. The lowest of the 3 quiz scores will be dropped and therefore no make-up quizzes are permitted. GRADING: Your final grade will be based on the number of points earned out of the total number of possible points. In calculating your grade at the end of the semester, your scores will be added together and the sum divided by the total number of points possible. Your numeric score will correspond with the grading scale listed below. For example, a numeric score of 85 corresponds with a letter grade of "B." GRADING SCALE: A=100-94; A-=93-90; B+=89-87; B=86-83; B-=8280; C+=79-77; C=76-73; C- 72-70; D+=69-67; D=66-63; D-=62-60; F=59 or Below. ATTENDANCE: Students are expected to attend all class sessions. Students are not eligible to earn an "A" if they are absent for more than 4 one-hour sessions since excessive absences will result in grade reduction by one letter grade. College policy limits the number of unexcused absences to 15% of the number of class sessions. If you are absent for any class, it is your responsibility to contact a classmate for handouts, if any, and any other material that may have been distributed and/or covered in class during your absence. You are, therefore, responsible for any material covered during any missed classes. All students are expected to have at least 1-2 "contact persons" to communicate with in order to obtain information about missed material. It is your responsibility to keep track of any missed classes. If quizzes or exams are returned in class on a day you are absent, you must retrieve your paper at the instructor's convenience. PROMPTNESS: Students are expected to be punctual for all class sessions. If you are tardy, you must wait until the end of class to get material already covered or ask questions of the instructor or other students about what you missed. It is your responsibility to make sure you sign the attendance sheet. CLASSROOM BEHAVIOR: Appropriate classroom behavior is required at all times. You may not use any electronic devices during classes. This includes tape recorders, laptop computers, cell phone etc. Reasonable breaks will be provided during extended class sessions. No food or beverages may be consumed in the classroom and caretakers are not allowed to bring children with them into the classroom, Persons unregistered for the course are not permitted in the classroom when class is in session. Cheating on quizzes and exams or plagiarism will not be tolerated. Therefore this class will be conducted in accordance with 2

the LaGuardia Community College Policy on Academic Integrity.

COURSE WITHDRAWAL POLICY: All course withdrawals must occur by the deadline. When a student officially withdraws by the deadline, a grade of "w" is given. Any student, who stops attending a class after the official date to withdraw, will receive an "F" grade. Official withdrawal does not entitle a student to a refund and may affect the student's financial aid (if receiving any). For further information, see the CUNY student school catalog or speak with a student counselor or advisor. CANCELLATION OF CLASSES: In the event that a class is canceled, a notice will be posted on the classroom door. This would be the only situation in which a class would not be in session. In the event that an emergency should occur and your instructor is late, please wait 15 minutes before leaving the classroom.

READINGS, QUIZ; AND EXAM SCHEDULE Week 1 Introduction, Course Overview Chapter 1—Introduction to Experiencing Cities. Week 2 Chapter 2—The Emergence of Cities Selection of research topics Week 3 Chapter 3—The Industrial Revolution and the Rise of Urban Sociology. (quiz--chapters 1-3) Week 4 Chapter 4—Chicago School: Urbanism and Urban Ecology Week 5 Chapter 5—Urban Planning

Week 6 Chapter 6—Urban Political Economy, The New Urban Sociology, and the 3

Power of Place. (quiz-chapters 4-6)

Week 7 Chapter 7—The City as a Work of Art Week 8 Chapter 8—The Skyscraper as Icon

Week 9—Experiencing Strangers and the Quest for Public Order Week 10 Chapter 11—Urban Enclaves and Ghettos: Social Policies (quiz, chapters 7-9&11) Week 11 In class help with research papers and Power Point presentations Week 12 Classroom presentations

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Research Topics for Final Paper (10-pages) 100 Points

Students are required to develop a research paper on one of the topics below, as their final submission. Note: Your paper should focus on New York City (when possible) and be supported with actual photos you have taken while researching the topic. Make sure to include a title page & bibliography in APA format. Points will be deducted for typographical, grammatical, language and punctuation errors. In addition, your final research paper must be presented to the class, electronically prepared using Microsoft PowerPoint and used as your classroom presentation. Your 10-page paper must be uploaded to e-portfolio immediately following your classroom presentation. Late submissions will not be accepted. Topics

Urban Social Inequality Creating Sustainable Urban Environments Urban Sprawl Urban Growth Management Housing Design and Sustainable Development Infrastructure Development/Redevelopment Solid Waste Disposal Smart Growth The New Urban Sociology New York City Development Projects (see NYC Planning Dept.) Professional Sports Facilities and Urban Redevelopment Anti-Muslim discrimination Environmental racism Gaming as economic development Fixing urban schools Free Community Colleges Excessive force by law enforcement The New Jim Crow Felony disenfranchisement Social inequality in America vs. Your Country of Origin Trends in affordable housing Smart cities Blighted cities Emerging infectious diseases in cities European unrest in cities Race and ethnicity in cities Alternative energy sources Ethnics in government Best practices in urban agriculture Urban social problems in your country of origin Demographic trends Suburban poverty Urbanization in your country of origin Green sustainable cities 5

Aging infrastructure in cities High speed trains Immigration reform Immigration fraud Requiring welfare recipients to work Problems with mega-cities New technologies and cities

Field Trips (50 points each) 1.

(TBA)

2.

(TBA)

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