REQUIREMENTS FOR THE B.A. IN URBAN STUDIES
Core requirements. The core requirements develop a solid foundation in the four major areas of the curriculum:
1. Historical and disciplinary perspectives: drawing upon the basic social science disciplines to provide a broad-based understanding of urban
growth and change.
o Urbs 400: Dynamics of American City*
o Basic disciplinary courses: three of the following courses--
Urbs 535, Urban Economics; Urbs 432, Urban Geography; Urbs 512, Urban Politics,
and Soc 482, Urban Sociology or Urbs 555, Urban Anthropology.
2. Research methods and data analysis: providing the basic tools necessary for effective research and analysis.
o Urbs 492: Research Methods.
o Urbs 493: Data Analysis.
3. Foundation course in policy or planning: developing the conceptual and analytic approaches necessary for effective action intended to
address current urban issues.
One of the following courses:
o Urbs 480: Policy Analysis
o Urbs 658: Land Use Planning
4. Fieldwork and Practical applications: internship and research project providing carefully supervised hands-on experience in both a
real-world work setting (the internship) and an independent research project (the senior seminar).
o Urbs 603/604: Urban Internship and Internship Seminar
o Urbs 680: Senior Seminar
Electives/Foci of Interest
The electives are courses focusing on particular issue areas in which the theoretical and analytic approaches developed in the core courses are applied to critical contemporary issues. This allows students to develop familiarity and some expertise in a professional policy area. Major policy areas include housing, health care, transportation, environmental and land-use planning, growth management, and family policy.
o Three courses chosen in consultation with and approved by your
advisor.
*Many Urban Studies courses are cross-listed with other departments. For cross-listing information, see course descriptions, pp. 9-17.
Recommended sequencing of coursework in the major
Core courses
1. Historical and disciplinary perspectives:
Urbs 400 provides a broad introduction to the field of Urban Studies and should be taken during the first semester in the program.
The basic disciplinary courses should be taken early in the program, one or two per semester. Urbs 400 is offered every semester; the basic
disciplinary courses at least every other semester.
2. Research methods:
Urbs 492 should be taken during the first semester; it is the foundation course in research methods and should be taken prior to Urbs 493.
Urbs 493 should be taken as soon as possible after Urbs 492. Both courses provide skills which will be important in subsequent courses. Both
courses are usually offered every semester.
3. Foundation course in policy or planning:
Urbs 480 or Urbs 658 should be taken relatively early after the first semester as they provide the analytic foundation for the more specialized
issue courses. Both courses are offered once a year.
4. Fieldwork and Practical applications
The internship, Urbs 603/604, should be taken after you have some coursework--some knowledge and skills to apply, and some qualifications--under your belt. The internship should be done prior to the senior seminar, as the internship experience is very useful in developing senior seminar projects. Planning for the internship must begin the semester prior to the one in which you want to work. The internship is offered every semester.
The senior seminar, Urbs 680, is offered every spring and should be taken during your last or next-to-last semester. Students need to have
completed most of the core courses, including the research methods and data analysis courses, prior to taking the senior seminar.
Electives/Foci of Interest
Electives should be taken throughout your program: they provide the opportunity to apply the analytic approaches and skills that you are
using to concrete and current policy issues. Electives are generally offered only once a year: consultation with your advisor is critical to
ensuring that you plan your schedule so as to be able to take the electives of your choice when they are offered.
Note: Courses in General Education and English and math proficiency required by the University for graduation should be taken as soon as
possible.
Advising is mandatory! All students must consult regularly with their advisor regarding course requirements, scheduling, and selecting an
appropriate set of electives. Students should maintain their own "Advising Checklist" (see the sample on p.6); advisors maintain a copy on
file in the program office as a record of progress as well as of approved substitutions. Students are encouraged to select an advisor whose
areas of interest correspond to those of the student. Consult with the program director if you need suggestions.
In deciding how many courses to take each semester, it is helpful to recall the basic university formula for calculating the hours of work
required for each course: a minimum of two hours per week in work out of class for every one unit of credit. Thus you should plan on at least
six hours of outside work (reading, reviewing, writing papers, etc) for a 3-unit class and at least eight hours of outside work for a 4-unit class.
The Urban Studies Program encourages students who are working full-time to return and finish their degrees; many courses are offered in the
late afternoon (4-6 pm) or evening (6-10). It will probably be necessary, however, to take time off to attend day classes. We have found that
most employers are willing make accommodations to allow their employees to complete their education. The program also allows substitutions
for requirements and seeks to accomodate the needs of night students.
Note to lower-division students
The best background for the Urban Studies major is completion of the University General Eduction (GE) requirements and introductory
courses in the social science disciplines relevant to the study of the city (e.g. economics, geography, political science, sociology). Math,
information science, and/or elementary statistics courses which provide a good foundation for more advanced research methods are also
desirable.
Lower-division students are encouraged to explore the possibility of an Urban Studies major by talking with an advisor and taking one or more
Urban Studies courses which interest them. There is one lower-division Urban Studies course, Urbs 200, The City, which provides a broad and
humanistically-oriented introduction to the city: anyone interested in the city is encouraged to take this course. In addition, if you are
interested in becoming an Urban Studies major, you may take Urbs 400 and some of the other courses before your junior year. Your advisor
can help you select the most appropriate courses.
URBAN STUDIES ADVISING CHECKLIST
REQUIRED CORE COURSES Date Taken Date Substitute
will take approved by
Urbs 400 The American City _________ _________ _________
Three of the following:
Urbs 535 Urban Economics _________ _________ _________
Urbs 432 Urban Geography _________ _________ _________
Urbs 512 Urban Politics _________ _________ _________
Either Soc 480 Urban Sociology _________ _________ _________
or Urbs 555 Urban Anthropology _________ _________ _________
Urbs 492 Research Methods _________ _________ _________
Urbs 493 Data Analysis _________ _________ _________
Either Urbs 480 Policy Analysis _________ _________ _________
or Urbs 658 Land Use Planning _________ _________ _________
Urbs 603/604 Internship _________ _________ _________
Urbs 680 Senior Seminar _________ _________ _________
ELECTIVES: three of the following, or approved alternatives, chosen in consultation with your advisor to reflect a focus of interest
Date Taken Will Take
Urbs 433 Urban Transportation _________ _________
Urbs 456 Community Organizing _________ _________
Urbs 475 Selected Issues in Urban Studies _________ _________
Urbs 480 Policy Analysis* _________ _________
Urbs 485 San Francisco Political Issues _________ _________
Urbs 512 Urban Politics _________ _________
Urbs 513 Politics, Law, & Urban Environment _________ _________
Urbs 514 Urban Growth Management _________ _________
Urbs 515 Race, Poverty, & the Urban Environment _________ _________
Urbs 530 Alternative Urban Futures _________ _________
Urbs 535 Urban Economics* _________ _________
Urbs 555 Urban Anthropology* _________ _________
Urbs 557 Urban Ethnography _________ _________
Urbs 560 Urban Poverty and Policy ________ _________
Urbs 565 Social Policy and the Family _________ _________
Urbs 570 Urban Health Policy _________ _________
Urbs 580 Housing and Community Development _________ _________
Urbs 582 Homelessness and Public Policy _________ _________
Urbs 603/604 Internship and Seminar** _________ _________
Urbs 652 Environmental Impact Analysis _________ _________
Urbs 655 Urban Environmental Design _________ _________
Urbs 658 Urban and Regional Planning* _________ _________
Urbs 660 Nonprofits in Urban Life _________ _________
Urbs 686 Fieldwork in Urban Analysis _________ _________
Urbs 699 Independent Study _________ _________
Approved Alternatives:
*Courses not used as core courses may be used as electives
The Urban Studies Program offers a minor designed to equip students with the general research and analytic skills as well substantive
knowledge necessary for work in urban planning and policy. It is ideally suited for students in the social sciences as well as programs like
journalism who wish to complement their majors with applied analysis of critical contemporary issues.
The minor offers students the choice of two emphases: urban policy or urban planning. The core courses in the minor provide a foundation in
urban analysis as well as an introduction to one of the emphases. The electives are chosen from the list of courses appropriate to each
emphasis.
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE URBAN STUDIES MINOR
I. CORE COURSES
Urbs 400, Dynamics of the American City (3 units)
Urbs 492, Research Methods (4 units)
Foundation course in policy or planning: one of the following,
chosen according to the student's choice of emphasis:
Policy emphasis: Urbs 480, Policy Analysis (4 units)
Planning emphasis: Urbs 658, Land Use Planning (4 units)
Total units in core: 11
II. EMPHASIS: URBAN POLICY OR URBAN PLANNING
Three additional courses from either the urban policy or urban planning emphasis:
Urban policy emphasis:
Urbs 560, Urban Poverty and Policy (4)
Urbs 565, Social Policy and the Family (4)
Urbs 570, Urban Health Policy (3)
Urbs 580, Urban Housing Policy (3)
Urbs 582, Homelessness and Public Policy (3)
Urbs 660, Nonprofit Organizations in Urban Life (3)
Approved substitute(s) with consent of advisor (3-4)
Urban planning emphasis
Urbs 433, Urban Transportation (4)
Urbs 513, Politics, Law and the Urban Environment (4)
Urbs 515, Race, Poverty and the Urban Environment (4)
Urbs 580, Urban Housing Policy (3)
Urbs 652, Environmental Impact Analysis (4)
Urbs 655, Urban Environmental Design (4)
Approved substitute(s) with consent of advisor (3-4)
Total units in emphasis: 9-12
Total units for minor: 20-23
GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS:
URBAN STUDIES OPTIONS
The Urban Studies program is an active participant in the university's General Education program: Urban Studies courses are included in both
Segment II and Segment III.
Segment II, Arts and Sciences Core
Segment II requires students to take a minimum of 9 units in three areas of knowledge: Physical and Biological Sciences, Behavioral and Social
Sciences, and Humanities and Creative Arts. The Urban Studies Program offers two courses in Category B of the Behavioral and Social
Sciences Area.
Behavioral and Social Sciences,
Category B: Decision-Making and Social Policy at the Societal Level
Urbs 200 The City (3)
Urbs 530 Alternative Urban Futures (3)
Segment III, Relationships of Knowledge
Segment III requires students to take 9 units in upper division courses which are organized into clusters covering a wide variety of topics.
These upper division courses may be taken no sooner than the semester in which the student achieves upper division status. At least one of
the courses must meet the Cultural, Ethnic and Social Diversity requirement; courses meeting that requirement are designated by a CESD
following the course title. In addition, at least one course in the cluster chosen must be outside the major department and may not be counted
toward the graduation requirements in the major.
Following is a list of clusters in which the Urban Studies Program participates and courses numbers for courses which are included in those
clusters. (Note: as of April 1990, final approval of the revised GE Segment III offers is still pending. For a complete list of current requirements
for each of these clusters, please consult the course schedule or the SFSU Bulletin.)
Dynamics of the City: Urbs 400 (CESD), Urbs 432, Urbs 530
Families in Change: Urbs 565 (CESD)
Health Care Policy: Urbs 570 (CESD)
Housing, Culture, and Society: Urbs 580
Making Cities Humane: Urbs 400 (CESD), Urbs 535, Urbs 555, Urbs 560 (CESD), Urbs 565 (CESD), Urbs 570 (CESD), Urbs 582.
Modern Urban America: Urbs 400 (CESD), Urbs 530
Planning the Urban Environment: Urbs 400 (CESD), Urbs 433, Urbs 513, Urbs 515, Urbs 580, Urbs 658
Poverty and Inequality in America: Urbs 560 (CESD), Urbs 565 (CESD)
The Next 20 Years: Toward the Year 2000: Urbs 530