Understanding the city: sociology, architecture and urban studies

Tuedays 12-14 and Thursdays 10-12, venue: seminar room (Snellmaninkatu 10, first floor)

• 19.1.
• 26.1.
• 28.1.
• 2.2.
• 4.2.
• 9.2.
• 11.2.
• 16.2.
• 18.2.
• 23.2.

Target group/Course level

The course is open to both Bachelor and Master students and to students of a REMS program.

Objectives

his course will introduce students to the concepts and theories relevant for understanding the variety of urban phenomena. It will focus primarily on the question of urban space and analyse its role and function in contemporary society. The course will draw on insights from social sciences, architectural theory and urban studies. Consequently, it will deal with the methodological question of interdisciplinarity and in-disciplinarity in urban research. We will analyze how is the question of the city analyzed in the work of selected theorists, such as Harvey, Simmel, Jameson and Tafuri. Although its primary focus is on urban space, the analysis will pay attention also to its larger theoretical context within which the authors situate it. There will be one lecture dedicated to screening a relevant movie, which integrates the understanding of a city as a social and as an architectural phenomenon.

Completion

The course has a form of lectures with discussion of selected articles. It is completed by a short essay on a topic relevant to the course.