The Urban Studies minor examines the urban environment to explore ethical questions about who we are and how we inhabit the world, both as individuals and as societies.
The majority of the world’s population now lives in urban environments, and Urban Studies offers a way for us to think about how we build our cities, what we do in them, and how they shape us. The program raises key questions regarding issues of diversity and inclusion, both in terms of course content as well as student and faculty involvement, and invites us to explore how gender, sexuality, and race have informed the construction and experience of the urban world. Individualized programs based on a faculty-designed template guide students to make new connections across disciplinary boundaries across the College and beyond.
The curriculum offers multiple different points of entry, starting with 100-level courses, or at the intermediate level through courses in fields such as Architectural Studies, history, sociology, anthropology, economics, Environmental Studies, psychology, and political science. By investigating the city and its diverse populations through multiple approaches, you will gain new insight into the human condition.
Program Highlights
- The program is flexible and compatible with any major, as well as semester away and study abroad programs.
- Students are provided with advising based on individual goals and a faculty-designed template, and have the opportunity to submit their individualized program proposals twice annually to the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies for review and approval.
- Numerous faculty from departments and programs across the College (Architectural Studies, history, sociology, anthropology, economics, environmental studies, psychology, and political science) teach urban studies-related courses and / or involve students in related urban studies research.
- Several distinguished scholars are invited to campus every year to speak on a broad range of Urban Studies topics and to interact with students.