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Urban Pasts and Futures - SOC00069I

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  • Department: Sociology
  • Module co-ordinator: Dr. Gareth Millington
  • Credit value: 20 credits
  • Credit level: I
  • Academic year of delivery: 2024-25

Module summary

During this module, you will learn about the ideas of key urban sociologists and gain an insight into the major urban transformations of the twentieth century, such as industrialisation, urban renewal, ghettoisation and gentrification. We link these transformations to the reproduction of social class, race and gender inequalities but also consider how these may be overcome.

Module will run

Occurrence Teaching period
A Semester 2 2024-25

Module aims

How are cities and urbanisation crucial to understanding modern, diverse societies? In this module we aim for you to urban sociology, to develop a critical understanding of how urbanisation is viewed as central to current policy goals of improving economic development in the Global South. In addition to learning about the ideas of key urban sociologists, you will gain an insight into the major urban transformations of the twentieth century, such as industrialisation, urban renewal, ghettoisation and gentrification. We link these transformations to the reproduction of social class, race and gender inequalities but also consider how these may be overcome. The module encourages you to think and act as urban citizens, not simply as individuals with rights but as agents capable of initiating change in the environments that we live in.

Module learning outcomes

Diagnose social harms in urban environments and suggest alternatives, improvements and remedies

Use visual methods as an aid to critically analyse features of urban life such as buildings, monuments, architecture as they relate to core module themes

Evaluate historical legacies of race, imperial, gender and class inequalities in the city

Identify mechanisms of exclusion in cities, and communicate and practise more socially just ways of conceiving urban futures

Demonstrate creative engagements with contemporary urban life and possible future changes

Assessment

Task Length % of module mark
Essay/coursework
Essay : Word Visual Essay - images with academic exegesis		 N/A 70
Essay/coursework
Video : Urban Futures Video		 N/A 30

Special assessment rules

None

Reassessment

Task Length % of module mark
Essay/coursework
Essay : Word Visual Essay - images with academic exegesis		 N/A 70
Essay/coursework
Video : Urban Futures Video		 N/A 30

Module feedback

For formative work - Presentation - students will receive written or verbal feedback on how to improve their skills in areas that will contribute towards their summative assessment. The formative assessments provide practice for the summative task, and in line with MLO 2.

For summative work - Urban Futures Video and VisualEssay - students will receive an overall mark and grading according to clearly defined criteria for assessing their knowledge, skills and abilities in line with MLO 1-5. They will also receive written feedback showing areas in which they have done well, and those areas in which they need to improve that will contribute to their progress.

Indicative reading

Hunt, T. (2005) Building Jerusalem: the rise and fall of the Victorian city. London: Phoenix.

Lefebvre, H. (1991) The production of space. Oxford: Blackwell.

Russell, D. (2004) Looking North: Northern England and the national imagination. Manchester: Manchester University Press.

Williams, R. (2004) The anxious city: English urbanism in the late twentieth century. London: Routledge.


The information on this page is indicative of the module that is currently on offer. The University is constantly exploring ways to enhance and improve its degree programmes and therefore reserves the right to make variations to the content and method of delivery of modules, and to discontinue modules, if such action is reasonably considered to be necessary by the University. Where appropriate, the University will notify and consult with affected students in advance about any changes that are required in line with the University's policy on the Approval of Modifications to Existing Taught Programmes of Study.