Urban Studies
Directors of undergraduate studies: Elihu Rubin, RDH, 180 York St., 436-4641; urbanstudies.yale.edu
Urban Studies is an interdisciplinary field grounded in the physical and social spaces of the city and the larger built environment. The Urban Studies major is situated within Yale’s liberal arts framework and draws on the broader academic context and expertise of the Yale School of Architecture, including the areas of urban design and development, urban and architectural history, urban theory and representation, globalization and infrastructure, transportation and mobility, heritage and preservation, and community-based planning. The major introduces students to the following bodies of knowledge: history, theory, and contemporary analysis of urban morphologies, spaces, societies, and political economies; conceptual tools and analytical methods to understand urban environments and issues through spatial terms; and practices of and speculative approaches to urban planning and design.
The major prepares undergraduates for a variety of future careers and fields of graduate study related to urban planning, design, and development. These include professional and practice-oriented fields such as urban planning, landscape architecture, law, nonprofit management, public policy, real estate, and architecture; as well as research-oriented fields such as geography, sociology, anthropology, history and theory of urban planning, and urban and architectural history.
Requirements of the Major
Thirteen course credits are required for the major, including the senior requirement. Each student, in consultation with the director of undergraduate studies (DUS) or a departmental faculty adviser, bears the responsibility for designing a coherent program, which must include the following elements: 3 surveys; 3 methods courses; 4, 5, or 6 electives (depending on the credit value of the courses); and a one- or two-term senior requirement.
Surveys Students choose three survey courses from the following list, of which one URBN course is required. Surveys should be completed by the end of the second year.
Surveys: URBN 160, 280, 341, 345, AMST 163, 196, EVST 226, ARCH 150
Methods courses Students must choose an Urban Lab as one of the three required methods courses. The courses in the following lists introduce various methods of understanding and analyzing urbanism and the city. Students should consider completing at least two of these courses by the end of their junior year.
Urban Lab Courses: URBN 352, 353, 360, 362, 363
Methods Courses: URBN 200, 352, 353, 360, 362, 363, ANTH 303, EVST 290, SOCY 160, 169
Electives Students choose five electives if enrolling in the two-term senior requirement; six electives if opting for the one-term senior requirement. Each student is responsible for selecting their elective courses from the approved list or by petition of the DUS. Students who take two Urban Labs (1.5 credits each) may take 4–5 electives depending on the selected senior requirement.
Credit/D/Fail No course taken Credit/D/Fail may be counted toward the Urban Studies major.
Senior Requirement
All majors must satisfy a senior requirement undertaken during the senior year. Students have the option of pursuing a yearlong senior project, which includes URBN 490, Senior Research Colloquium, in the fall and URBN 491, Senior Project, in the spring. The senior project may be a written paper (minimum 7,500 words in the body of the document) or a project that could encompass a variety of media with permission from DUS and the adviser. The primary adviser must be a member of the architecture faculty. Students not choosing a yearlong project may enroll in an advanced seminar (URBN 400–490), and produce a final paper of 6,000 words, minimum, in addition to existing coursework. The seminar should be selected in consultation with the DUS. Note that students pursuing this option must also take an additional elective.
Advising and Intent to Major
Students are encouraged to declare their intent to major by the end of their second year, but applications to the major are accepted on a rolling basis. The intent to major process includes submission of an Intent to Major form with requested materials followed by a meeting with the DUS to discuss the intended course of study. Schedules for majors must be discussed with, and approved by, the DUS in Urban Studies.
Courses in the School of Architecture Unless otherwise indicated in the course descriptions, all courses in the School of Architecture are open to majors and nonmajors with permission of the instructor and the graduate registrar. They are not available for the Credit/D/Fail option. Students are admitted on the basis of their previous coursework and previous performance.
SUMMARY OF MAJOR REQUIREMENTS
Prerequisites None
Number of courses 13 course credits (incl senior req)
Distribution of courses 3 surveys, incl 1 URBN course (to be completed by second year); 3 methods courses, one of which must be an Urban Lab; 4–6 electives, as specified and depending on the credit values of the courses selected
Senior requirement URBN 490 and 491; or adv seminar and an addtl elective
Requirements
13 course credits, including the senior requirement
- 3 surveys, one of which must be a URBN course (see Overview)
- 3 methods courses, one of which must be an Urban Lab (1.5 credit)
- between 4 and 6 electives, depending on the total credit value of the required courses (see Overview)
- URBN 490 and 491; or advanced seminar (URBN 400-490) and an additional elective
Urban Studies is an interdisciplinary field grounded in the physical and social spaces of the city and the larger built environment. The Urban Studies major is situated within Yale’s liberal arts framework and draws on the broader academic context and expertise of the Yale School of Architecture, including the areas of urban design and development, urban and architectural history, urban theory and representation, globalization and infrastructure, transportation and mobility, heritage and preservation, and community-based planning. The major introduces students to the following bodies of knowledge: history, theory, and contemporary analysis of urban morphologies, spaces, societies, and political economies; conceptual tools and analytical methods to understand urban environments and issues through spatial terms; and practices of and speculative approaches to urban planning and design.
The major prepares undergraduates for a variety of future careers and fields of graduate study related to urban planning, design, and development. These include professional and practice-oriented fields such as urban planning, law, nonprofit management, public policy, real estate development, and architecture; as well as research-oriented fields such as geography, sociology, anthropology, urban planning, and architecture.
Students interested in urban studies are encouraged to take courses open to first years, especially the following survey courses: URBN 160, 200, 280, 341, 345.
FACULTY ASSOCIATED WITH URBAN STUDIES
Professors Elijah Anderson (Sociology), Keller Easterling (School of Architecture), Jennifer Klein (History), Marcella Nunez-Smith (School of Medicine), Alan Plattus (School of Architecture), Karen Seto (School of Environment), Helen Siu (Anthropology), Jing Tsu (Comparative Literature, East Asian Languages and Literature)
Associate Professors Laura Barraclough (American Studies), Erik Harms (Anthropology), Bill Rankin (History of Science, Medicine, and Public Health), Elihu Rubin (School of Architecture, American Studies)
Assistant Professors Anthony Acciavatti (Visiting) (School of Architecture), Joyce Hsiang (School of Architecture), Bimal Mendis (Adjunct)(School of Architecture)
Lecturer Jay Gitlin (History)
Critics Marta Caldeira (School of Architecture), Andrei Harwell (School of Architecture), Surry Schlabs (School of Architecture), Beka Sturges (School of Architecture)