Geo 372: Metropolitan Issues in the Developing World

P. Gaubatz

Sample Syllabus

Course Description:

This course examines the cities of Asia, Africa and Latin America as they have developed from traditional forms to the modern metropolises which now house three out of every five of the world's urban dwellers. We will focus upon the role of culture, society, economy and politics in shaping urban landscapes. Special topics will include issues such as the persistence of traditional forms (both physical and social) in contemporary cities, the role of economic globalization in urbanization, and the impacts of contemporary urban planning and development strategies on urban form and functions.

Course Overview:

Part One:	Historical: Urban Traditions of Asia, Africa & Latin America Colonial Cities
Part Two:	Contemporary Third World Cities: Theories & Issues
Part Three:	Contemporary Third World Cities: Planning & Policy

Course Requirements and Structure:

This course will consist of lectures, reading, in-class group projects, two research papers and two exams. There will be no final exam. Grades will be weighted as follows:

2	2 exams	@	20% each	=	40%	400 points
2	8-10 pg. papers	@	20% each	=	40%	400 points
7	reading due dates	@	2% each	=	14%	140 points
4	in-class projects	@	1.5% each	=	6%	60 points
			Total:	=	100%	1000 points

Projects:

In-class projects. There will be 4 in-class group projects during the course of the semester. Each will take one class session to complete. In-class projects will not be announced ahead of time.

***NOTE: there will be no make-ups for in-class projects.***

Papers:

Each 8-10 page paper will have two due dates: one for the topic + 3 sources, one for the paper itself. Refer to the course calendar for due dates. Detailed assignment sheets will be available long before the papers are due.

• Paper #1: Profile of a city's transformation from traditional city, to colonial city, to contemporary third world city.
• Paper #2: Compare & contrast three different cities' experiences with one of the contemporary themes discussed in the course (eg - migration, housing, development zones, gender inequality etc.)

Reading Assignments:

Each weeks' reading assignment will include a short list of 3-5 questions to be answered from the reading. Each reading assignment will have a due date listed at the top - there will be 7 due dates total (usually 2 weeks of reading will be due on each due date).

Readings:

Three books are required:

• 1. Drakakis-Smith, David (1992) The Third World City.Routledge.
• 2. Kasarda, John D. and Allan M. Parnell, eds. (1993) Third World Cities: Problems, Policies and Prospects. Sage Publications.
• 3. Gilbert, Alan and Josef Gugler (1992) Cities, Poverty and Development: Urbanization in the Third World (second edition) Oxford University Press.

Additional readings will be on reserve in the Morrill library.