School of Sociology and Criminology  
 
 
SOC-30025 Streets, Skyscrapers, and Slums: The City in Social, Cultural, and Historical Context  
Co-ordinator: Dr Mark Featherstone    Room: CBC0.014, Tel:34179  
Teaching Team: Dr Jane Parish, Ms Deborah  Tagg, Dr Andy  Zieleniec, Miss Jo-Anne  Watts, Miss Claire  Lewendon,  Garry  Crawford  
Lecture Time: See Timetable...  
Level: 3 Credits: 15 Study Hours: 150  
School Office:
 
 
 
Programme/Approved Electives for
American Studies Dual Honours (Level 3)
American Studies Minor (Level 3)
American Studies Single Honours (Level 3)
Media, Communications and Culture Dual Honours (Level 3)
Media, Communications and Culture Minor (Level 3)
Sociology Dual Honours (Level 3)
Sociology Major (Level 3)
Sociology Minor (Level 3)
Available as a Free Standing Elective
Yes
Barred Combinations
None
Prerequisites
None
Description

In this module we trace the cultural politics of the city from Ancient Athens to contemporary mega-cities, such as Los Angeles, Tokyo, and Lagos. Following the introductory lecture, which examines the meaning of the original cities of the ancient world, the first part of the module, modern cities, offers a consideration of the late 19th century / early 20th century European metropolises.

After an exploration of the ideas of metropolitan psychology, fashion, and the department store in the works of Georg Simmel and Walter Benjamin, we move on to think about the city in the late 20th century. Here we think about the situationist city, the spectacular city, and the surveillance city and consider the ideas of Guy Debord, Henri Lefebvre, and Michel Foucault.

In the second part of the module, post-modern cities, we study the American mega-city. For writers such as Fredric Jameson, Jean Baudrillard, and Mike Davis cities such as Los Angeles and Las Vegas are strange surreal places. In this section of the course we explore the post-modern city through the ideas of simulation, informationalism, urban violence, the ghetto, and the obsession with security.

After our exploration of the post-modern city, the final section of the module examines contemporary third world mega-cities. We begin with a consideration of Mike Davis&©s recent study of the third world slum and then move on to think about the ideas of pollution and danger in mega-cities.

Other topics in this section of the course include the situation of the occultism in the African city, corruption and crime in South Africa, and the mythology of the werewolf in one of Africa&©s most populous cities, Lagos.

The aim of the module is to explore the cultural politics of the city in history.
Aims
  • To teach students the history of the city and its changing forms
  • To teach students the core theories of the city and to enable them to apply these theories beyond their original context
  • To enable students to understand the relationship between individuals, society, and the environment
  • To encourage students to think about the ways society, culture, economy, politics, intersect with space
Intended Learning Outcomes
  • evaluate the history of the city through the discussion of core examples drawn from the ancient, modern, and post-modern epochs
  • critically assess the relationship between the city and society through the discussion of examples
  • evaluate the sociological distinctions between different kinds of cities in terms of the transition from ancient through modern to post-modern society
  • demonstrate knowledge of the core theories of the city and apply these beyond the first context
  • create analyses of contemporary cities on the basis of knowledge of core theories of urban space
  • design theoretical models for understanding cities on the basis of theoretical materials
Study hours
28 contact hours - 14 lectures / 14 tutorials
28 hours class preparation
37 independent study
57 assessment preparation
150 HOURS
Description of Module Assessment
01: Poster Presentation weighted 30%
Poster Presentation - 4 x A4 sides.
Students produce 4 x A4 sides on a topic related to the module using text and images to convey an argument or thesis.
02: Essay weighted 70%
Essay - 3000 words
Students write a 3000 word essay on a question from a list produced by the lecturer or negotiate a question with the tutor.
Version: (1.06B) Updated: 03/Mar/2013

This document is the definitive current source of information about this module and supersedes any other information.