General provisions

The course is given as an elective course within the Master's Programme in Social Science and as a stand-alone course. The course is given in English.

Entry requirements

A Bachelor's degree including 90 credits in social sciences. Proficiency in English equivalent to the general entry requirements for first-cycle (Bachelor's level) studies.

Learning outcomes

The aim of this course is to provide a theoretical and practical understanding of some current challenges of cities from an urban sociology perspective. Students will engage with the major theoretical debates and will conduct empirical analysis of local cases. The course will focus on issues such as segregation, gentrification, housing provision, planning governance, public spaces, gender, and urban activism in the context of changing Swedish cities and global urbanisation processes.

After completing the course, the student:

a) will be able to identify the main analytical approaches in urban sociology;

b) will be able to apply theoretical insights to specific cases of urban phenomena and processes;

c) will be able to write a sociological report based on a case study about a current urban phenomenon.

Content

The course will present sociological approaches to spatial segregation, gentrification, housing provision, urban planning, public spaces, gender, and urban activism in the context of changing Swedish cities and global urbanisation processes. Contemporary empirical studies with different research methods are used to illustrate the theoretical approaches. Lectures and seminars will encourage critical discussions on current urban issues in the context of changing Swedish cities and global urbanisation processes.

Instruction

The course consists of lectures, seminars and empirical observations. Active participation in seminars is compulsory. Justified absence from seminars can only be compensated to a lesser extent by written submissions. If requirements for attendance are not met, the student will be referred to the next course opportunity.

Assessment

Assessment is by written home assignments and active participation in oral seminars. Submissions submitted after the deadline cannot be accepted. In case of missed deadline, the student is referred to re-examination. If there are justified special reasons, an examiner may make an exception from the method of assessment indicated and allow a student to be assessed by another method. An example of special reasons might be a certificate regarding special pedagogical support from the University's disability coordinator.