Courses
Urban Studies (URBNST) Course Descriptions
Students are required to complete 15 credits of the following URBNST courses.
Introduction to Urban Studies URBNST 0080
(3 credits)
Students are encouraged to take this as early as possible, ideally in the fall or spring of freshman year. This course serves as the required introduction into the Urban Studies major or as a general course in the social sciences for the non-major. The course, like the major, explores the problems and potential of cities by combining various disciplinary perspectives: economics,geography,Africana studies, political science, history, sociology, and anthropology. In so doing, the course takes full advantage of the resources of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. Films and field trips help to bring the readings alive. As course materials are providing students with the necessary concepts and information to understand the urban environment, the students will be developing their own investigative skills through group trips.
Urban Studies Research and Presentation Skills Seminar URBNST 1300 (3 credits)
Offered Fall Term.
After declaring the major and while beginning their concentration, majors develop their skills in investigating their urban environment directly. In this course, students will learn and apply a set of basic research and communication skills relevant to work in urban settings. Students will learn to locate data relevant to a given issue, analyze in thorough and theory-based fashion, and present conclusions clearly and persuasively. Skills include defining a research question, questionnaire design, interviewing, and interpretation and analysis of secondary data. This highly interactive course is organized around real-world problems and assigned to small work teams.
Urban Studies Research Seminar URBNST 1500
(3 credits)
Offered Spring Term.
In this seminar, students combine the interdisciplinary knowledge they have gained and the research skills they have learned. Each year, a contributing faculty member selects a topic of current interst in Pittsburgh. Students investigate that topic through secondary sources, public records, interviews, questionnaires, etc. Topic have included riverfront development, the impact of the new airport on Pittsburgh’s economy, the impact of changing mental health care policies on the homeless population, and the effect of changing health care policies on African American infant mortality rates.
Urban Studies Field Placement URBNST 1900
(6 credits)
Also see Internships. Students obtain experience in an urban-related profession. This course gives the Urban Studies major the opportunity to get off of the campus and in the community. It allows the student to relate his/her academic training to a real-world situation by working in an urban-related organization or agency. Prior to the term in which the field placement is taken, the student and the Urban Studies advisor plan a placement that is best suited to the student's talents and interests. During the placement the student works an established number of hours per week under the combined supervision of the agency or organization personnel and the Urban Studies advisor. For permission to register, visit 3500 Wesley W. Posvar Hall.