Urban Affairs (URBN)

The Urban Affairs Program introduces the student to the process of urbanization by analyzing the history, ecology and structure of cities, even as it explores their social, economic, cultural, political and public policy environments. Contemporary urban problems such as inadequate housing, education, health care, crime and the criminal justice system are addressed, as are challenges like ethnic, racial, class and religious diversity. Also discussed are patterns of suburbanization, as well as planning for the future of cities.

Requirements for Major in Urban Affairs: A major in Urban Affairs can be pursued only in conjunction with a specialization in one of the traditional academic disciplines. A total of 30 credits or ten courses are required, including one course dealing primarily with urban subject matter in at least three of the following departments: Economics, Government, History, Psychology, or Sociology. All majors are required to take the introductory course in Urban Affairs, GOVT 222 Power in the City before taking the required Research Seminar. Additional requirements include a Research Seminar and a supervised field experience in a New York City government or social service agency, or elected official’s office which may be satisfied by COOP 402, COOP 403 or URBN 405 Urban America, Crisis and Opportunity.

No more than four courses in any academic discipline can be counted towards the major in Urban Affairs. A minimum grade of C is required to fulfill the requirements for the major.

Requirements for Minor in Urban Affairs: The minor in Urban Affairs is available to students in all schools of the College. Fifteen credits or five courses are required, including the introductory course in Urban Affairs GOVT 222 Power in the City, and a Research Seminar, normally URBN 401 or URBN 405. No more than two courses from any one discipline can be counted towards the minor.

CIVL 304. Environmental Engineering Principles. Problems of pollution control, population forecasting, air and water quality requirements, solid waste management, principles of stream pollution. Principles of processes for treatment of water and wastewater. Environmental quality management with emphasis on water pollution control. Three lectures. Prerequisite: CHEM 101.     (Cr. 3)

ECON 332. Environmental Economics. An analysis of the relationship between social behavior, environmental degradation, economic principles and public policy. Topics include pollution, extinction, sustainability, population growth, global warming, acid deposition, hazardous waste, poverty, and health. This course also considers the viability and success of public policies designed to alleviate the environmental problems. Prerequisites: ECON 201, 202.          (Cr. 3)

ECON 333. Public Finance. A study of why a government role in the economy is needed and how it ought to be financed. It considers the nature of different types of government programs involving expenditures and the types of taxes used to raise revenues. It is concerned with the impact of government on the efficiency and equity of market outcomes. Fall 2002, Fall 2003. Prerequisites: ECON 201, 202.           (Cr. 3)

ECON 335. Political Economy. This course deals with determinants of economic growth and development from a global perspective. The political and legal environment will be given attention along-side economic factors. Issues facing transitional and developing economies will be given special focus. Prerequisite: ECON 201, 202. (Cr. 3)

ECON 405. Labor Economics. A study of the labor market, employment and wage determination; theories that explain wage differentials and unemployment; and alternative policies that can reduce labor market problems. Prerequisites: ECON 201, 202, 227 or with permission of instructor.  (Cr. 3)

ENGL 285. Literary New York. A study of selected literary works in which New York City figures prominently as a subject, a metaphor, or a muse.             (Cr. 3)

ART 360. New York City Architecture, Urbanism & Design. From the Federal-era house to the modern skyscraper, New York’s architectural heritage is compelling. This course is an introduction to the philosophy and the socio-economic/political forces that have shaped our city. Using the city as our classroom, you will physically experience architecture and our urban environment—look, touch, discuss, question. Classes will take place on site, at various Manhattan locations.

ART 404. The New York Skyscraper. An introduction to the art of building, concentrating on the skyscraper in New York City, and dealing only with such earlier work as relates to its back-ground and development. Attention is given to planning, style, and engineering. Course will feature lectures, tours, and visits to studios.             (Cr. 3)

ART 435. Current Trends. A course to introduce the student to the current New York Art Scene. There will be visits to galleries, studios, museums and performance places.      (Cr. 3)

GOVT 212. Wall Street. The interactions among the world’s investors, investment institutions, and various self-regulatory bodies involved in the capital markets will be explored. Stocks, bonds, mutual funds, hedge funds, derivatives, and many other investment instruments as well as psychological mindsets directing the markets will be investigated. The instructional part of the course will be relieved by field trips for practical, on-the-scene insights into Wall Street operations, employment possibilities, and the stock market’s role in everyone’s life.         (Cr. 3)

GOVT 222. Power in the City. Significant buildings and public works are used as historical case studies of personal, interest group, economic or political power in the development of the city. Students must be prepared to walk about five miles over several hours, rain or shine.       (Cr. 3)

GOVT 223. Environmental Politics. Analysis of US and global environmental politics and major issues involved in ecological sustainability and development, including resource management, pollution control and climate change. (Cr. 3)

GOVT 315. State and Local Government in the United States of America. The history and development of federalism in the United States political system, with emphasis on contemporary state and local political institutions and public policy issues. Governmental structures and processes are considered in relation to policy outcomes.     (Cr. 3)

GOVT 321. Urban Government and Politics. Examination of government and politics in major United States cities and suburbs. Impact of urban political, economic and social elites, labor, ethnic and racial groups, state and federal governments on urban politics and public policy. Analysis of selected metropolitan problems. (Cr. 3)

GOVT 322. Public Administration. The role of bureaucracy in carrying out public policy. The examination of administrative processes with special emphasis on administrative behavior and decision-making. (Cr. 3)

GOVT 420. Seminar: Conflict Resolution. Analysis of sources of conflict and study of methods of conflict management and resolution at interpersonal, neighborhood, national, and international levels.  (Cr. 3)

GOVT 426. Seminar: The Politics of Race, Ethnicity and Class in the United States. Analysis of the “ignoble paradoxes” of American freedom and democracy that are embodied in Indian genocide, African enslavement, social annihilation, white supremacist ideologies and racism. A study of leaders and mass movements that pushed United States’ society and its political institutions in the direction of greater racial, ethnic, and class equality and justice. (Cr. 3)

HIST 387. New York City and the American Urban Experience. The colonial and Revolutionary city, urban imperialism, the city in the American mind, immigration, social mobility, the rise of the ghetto, the impact of the New Deal, suburbanization, the modern metropolis, recent trends.   (Cr. 3)

MGMT 430. Business, Government, and Society. Examines interactions between business, government and society in a changing global economy. Analyzes the role of government as an arbiter between business practices and society’s expectations and values. From the perspective of the firm, addresses corporate responsiveness to public concerns, business ethics and public issues management. Considers government regulation of product safety and quality; environmental protection and resource conservation; workforce diversity; workplace health and safety; and international trade and competitiveness. Prerequisite: Business Seniors only.  (Cr. 3)

PSYC 251. The Psychology of Delinquent and Criminal Behavior. A survey of psychosocial causes of criminal behavior. Topics include: the antisocial personality, drug abuse, neuropsychological components of criminality, and the critical evaluation of detection ­methods.           (Cr. 3)

PSYC 321. Social Psychology. A study of the processes by which the behaviors, thoughts, and feelings of the individual are influenced by his/her social environment. Topics include: social perception and attribution, attitude development and change; interpersonal attraction and interpersonal relations such as friendship.     (Cr. 3)

RELS 417. Religious Faith and the Arts. An exploration of the ways in which religious faith is expressed through the arts, including the visual, performing and plastic arts. Much of the course will take place off-campus in the theaters, museums, concert halls and churches of New York City.   (Cr. 3)

SOC 204. Introduction to Urban Anthropology. An anthropological examination of various aspects of urban life from an evolutionary and cross-cultural perspective. Fieldwork experience in studying neighborhoods.    (Cr. 3)

SOC 301. Social Problems. A critical analysis of the causes and impact of social problems using the major theoretical approaches developed in sociology. Topics include poverty, the environment, corporate power, war, et al.         (Cr. 3)

SOC 302. Race and Ethnicity. Theories, concepts, and research findings from sociology and anthropology as they relate to dominant and minority relations in various countries. Sociological study of conflict, prejudice, and discrimination.         (Cr. 3)

SOC 304. Social Class and Inequality. Analysis of the class structure of the United States. Economic and noneconomic characteristics of different classes. How class status affects one’s life (physical and mental health, food and shelter, education, crime, and political power). The factors influencing what class one ends up in adulthood. The impact of welfare reform. Variations in class inequality across societies and across different time periods in the U.S. Varying explanations of and solutions to class inequality.            (Cr. 3)

SOC 305. Urban Sociology. New York City serves as a model for studying cities and urbanization. Central issues, such as growth and decline, gentrification, ethnic and racial change, neighborhoods, business, and cultural concentrations will be studied through field visits, readings, and reports.           (Cr. 3)

SOC 308. Juvenile Delinquency. Sociological perspectives on the nature, causes, and prevention of delinquency.       (Cr. 3)

SOC 309. Criminology. A sociological examination of crime and theories of crime causation. Topics also include: the extent of crime, types of crimes, indices of crime, and societal reactions to crime.         (Cr. 3)

SOC 310. Sociology of Deviance. Study of stigmatized social behavior, including areas such as drug dependence, prostitution, swinging, homosexuality, and violence. Sociological theories to explain deviance are analyzed.         (Cr. 3)

SOC 327. Power and Conflict. Analysis of the nature of power as experienced and expressed in different social, historical, and cultural contexts. Different theories of the distribution and exploitation of political, economic, and social power in local, regional, national, and global contexts. Different mechanisms used by dominant groups to subjugate others. The social organization, tactics, goals, and impact of grass-root movements by exploited peoples, e.g. women, minorities, immigrants, laborers. Varying proposals to identify and respond to the many social guises of hegemony.        (Cr. 3)

SOC 338. Schools and Society. Examination of how schools in U.S. and abroad are organized and operate, why there are class, race, and sex differences in how much education people get, why better educated people get the best jobs, and what must be done to reform our schools.                  (Cr. 3)

SOC 345. New York City Ethnic Communities. New York City will serve as a model for studying ethnic communities. Central sociological themes, such as population, ethnic transition, assimilation, community structure, etc., will be studied through field visits, readings, and reports.

SOC 361. Criminal Justice Administration. An analysis of the various agencies in the administration of justice, the nature of law enforcement, the prisons, court system and rehabilitation agencies.           (Cr. 3)

SOC 362. Organized Crime. Analysis of the origin, organization, control, and consequences of organized crime in the United States. Emphasis on conflicting theories and current research.     (Cr. 3)

SOC 363. Prisons and Probation. The correctional system in relation to punishment, treatment, and reclamation of offenders. Types of correctional institutions; parole and probation. Theories and methods of corrections emphasized.      (Cr. 3)

SOC 364. Criminal Law and Society. An exploration of the development of legal systems in different societies. Criminal law in the United States will be discussed within the context of social and political influences on its making, administration and enforcement. An underlying question to be examined: “Is law an effective form of social control?”           (Cr. 3)

SOC 365. Police and Society. A socio-historical and comparative analysis of the structure, functions and organization of contemporary police departments. This course will address the patrol, investigative and specialized operations in policing; police discretion and decision making; police culture and personality; police misconduct and current issues.         (Cr. 3)

SOC 366. White Collar Crime. Street crimes command the attention of politicians and the mass media. But white collar crimes cost our society far more in lives hurt and lost, and property damaged. These white collar crimes take such diverse forms as professional misconduct, deliberate industrial pollution, and governmental repression of political opponents. The course examines the content, causes, and means of controlling these various white collar crimes.            (Cr. 3)

URBN 301. Special Topics in Urban Affairs. Course descriptions will be announced when courses are offered.

URBN 303. Urban Planning. Introduction to the principles and techniques of urban planning. Practical application of knowledge from many disciplines in forming physical design for urban spaces. Consideration of demographic, political, economic, and legal factors in the planning process.       (Cr. 3)

URBN 401. Seminars in Urban Affairs. Environmental Politics and Public Policy; Conflict Resolution; Women in Politics and The Politics of Race, Ethnicity and Class in the U.S.A. Interdisciplinary consideration of selected modern urban problems.         (Cr. 3)

URBN 402. Independent Study in Urban Affairs. Supervised reading and/or research designed to allow majors to pursue areas of special interest. Topic and outline of plans must be approved by director of program and supervising professor.         (Cr. 3)

URBN 405. Urban Affairs Seminar: Urban America, Crisis and Opportunity. An interdisciplinary course. Sociological, political, psychological and economic analysis of urban poverty combined with reflections on social justice in religious traditions. Provide the framework for student- volunteer work experience at the Highbridge Community Life Center in the Bronx.     (Cr. 3)

CO-OP 402, 403. Internship. Main emphasis on practical experience to help in career planning. Students work in agencies related to their prospective careers (e.g., legal services, urban planning, corrections, parole, counseling). Eight hours per week; a log, attendance at periodic general meetings, and individual conferences with the instructor are required. To register for this course see chair and register through the Cooperative Education Program.          (Cr. 3)