Aims

There has been a recent international resurgence of interest in the modern city. In particular, emphasis has been placed on urban areas and regions as drivers of economical change and centres of cultural regeneration and identity formation, as well as spaces of social division, conflict and inequality. The main aim of this module is to explore how these various processes are impacting upon the activities and identites of different social groupings in the city. The module objectives are:

1. To provide a conceptual and theoretical overview of the urban debate and how the city reflects both our experience of modernity and underlying economic change.
2. To explore some of the key political issues and cultural conflicts in the city with regard to the main social divisions affecting modern societies

Outline Of Syllabus

The course will cover a range of topics drawn from the following (note not all will be covered in any given year):Introduction: The Changing City - From the Industrial to the (Post) Modern City; The Fractured City?: The Future of Community; The Disorganised City: Disorder and Division; The Conflictual City: Marxism and Political Economy; The Mirage City: Post-modernism and its Critics; The Entertainment City: Youth Culture, Consumption and Urban Nightscapes;Information Technology and the Smart City; The Poor City: The Urban Underclass and Social Exclusion;The Sexualised City: Gender, Sexuality and Public Space and Urban Gay Culture; Alternative Cultural Spaces and the City

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

Lectures are designed to provide a theoretical overview and or examination of case study material in order to provide learning outcomes related to students gaining conceptual and empirical knowledge. Seminars allow students to develop and pursue topics to them in more detail, and encourage some of the generic skills of teamwork, debating skills and conceptualisation. Private study, devoted to preparing for lectures and seminars as well as drafting their essay, aids the development of writing as well as organisational skills

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

Both the essay and exam assessment will require students to think across the module, while utilising slightly different skills. Essays will allow students a greater degree of flexibility in setting and developing their own topics of interest and engaging in more empirical or case study detail. The exam will require and test students ability to think conceptually and laterally across the module topics.