Urban Studies Minor

A broad contextual overview of urban life that examines from a systems perspective the relationship of humans to their environment.

Examination of the development of metropolitan America from a multi-disciplinary approach, with emphasis upon dynamics of urban growth, internal development of cities, immigrations, socio-economic stratification, metropolitanization, and problems deriving from growth.

Examination of historical experiences, cultural patterns, and social advantages and disadvantages of different groups within society; social problems such as racism, prejudice, discrimination, and exploitation as both mainstream and non-mainstream groups experience them; and diversity of different groups and their changing dynamics. The course helps students become knowledgeable about diversity issues and materials written by and about diverse groups and develop the ability to distinguish facts from interpretations and opinions.

Multi-disciplinary study of city and suburban growth patterns and problems that hamper metropolitan cooperation and affect the quality of life for city and suburban residents and businesses.

Study of conflict and its resolution in contemporary urban settings. Personal, small group, and societal strategies for conflict resolution are explored.

Exploration from multi-disciplinary approach of social power and its relation to decision making in urban communities. Emphasis on theories of power, understanding research methodologies, and policy implications.

Political behavior and perceptions in cities and towns from a multi-disciplinary perspective with emphasis on how policy is initiated, developed, and implemented in various governmental forms.

Exploration of the histories of Worcester’s different peoples and their stories, many of which are left out of what might be called official Worcester history. Students read and research various primary and secondary sources, explore different approaches to studying and creating history, conduct fieldwork, and create papers or projects about the city’s lesser-known and lesser-told histories, groups, individuals, and events.

Often powerful and rich personal narratives, oral histories provide insight into a past event or series of events, often communicating unofficial or previous unknown or misunderstood stories especially in urban areas. This class explores the theoretical underpinnings of memory and remembering, and best practices for oral history. Students engage in oral history work, including interviewing, recording, transcribing, analyzing, and preparing oral histories for research and dissemination.

This class looks at how public policy relates to the social construction of race, class, and gender categories and how urban residents navigate such policies as part of their everyday struggle for survival and stability. The course considers how popular discourse features dominant narratives of security, insecurity, and human worth when it comes to questions of how the social safety net is allocated. How do these narratives contribute to the way urban residents experience and interpret government on an everyday level? How do these narratives affect the way urban residents interact with the state and public institutions?

This course builds upon basic social work skills and enhances students’ understanding about the changing concepts, terms, and theories about what the field and practice of social work is. It is a more in-depth examination of the approaches used by social work professionals in assessing and meeting the needs of increasingly diverse, complex, and complicated populations.

Theoretical perspectives on the mission of the criminal justice system and the daily operation of its sub-components.

Investigation of crime in contemporary urban society and the social, legal, economic, and cultural strategies for dealing with crime and deviance.

For the first time in history, urban dwellers outnumber those in rural areas in the world population. Why are people increasingly flocking to cities, and what are some of the impacts of this shift on populations in different parts of the globe? As cities grow to accommodate their swelling numbers, dynamics of both inclusion and exclusion are bound up in processes of change and development. This course addresses these issues by exploring a variety of topics associated with urban exclusion, such as displacement, development, climate change, changing family dynamics, the informal sector, housing, inequality, and forms of resistance to exclusion.

Analysis of the factors that shape the nature, location, and supply of urban housing with special focus on federal policies and the housing needs of elders.

Exploration of the necessary role of community service in civic life with emphasis on harnessing the power of intergenerational programs to address social concerns.

This course assesses the place of refugees in United States cities, historically and currently. Students look at the experience of refugees in the US, relevant policies pertaining to this population, and the various popular debates circulating about refugee settlement and asylum in the US. The course also explores the nature of exile, displacement, and struggle in relation to urban inclusion and exclusion.

Role and problems of youth in urban societies viewed from a variety of social science perspectives with additional employment of contemporary music and literature.

Role of theory, attitudes, and public opinion in the formation of policies concerning delinquency with exploration of current practices and innovative strategies.

Analysis of current social policies in regard to elders and exploration of ways in which policies need to be altered to meet growing elder needs.

Exploration of the ramification of unrelenting global aging, focusing on connections across generations.

Examination of urban ecosystems, focusing on land uses designed to effectively utilize water, open space, and other natural resources.

Investigation of the factors that determine the formation of public policy on the environment, with consideration of the roles played by state and federal regulatory agencies.

Advanced leadership seminar for students interested in pursuing management careers in public and nonprofit urban organizations.

This course examines contemporary policy issues and problems deriving from cultural diversity. These include areas such as immigration, population, demographics, affirmative action, public assistance, integration, separatism, political correctness, gender equality, and the role of organized religion in contemporary politics.