Urban Studies Major

Urban Studies Major

IN THIS SECTION

Get the skills you need to bring change to an increasingly urban and metropolitan world.

The Urban Studies Major will provide you with a solid foundation in this interdisciplinary field. You will develop your researching, writing, critical thinking, and creative problem-solving skills. With the help of the department’s Urban Action Institute and Citylab, you will go beyond the walls of Worcester State and out into the world to engage with community members near and far through fieldwork, outreach, partnerships, internships, and research.

Depending on your career goals, you can take a concentration in gerontology, intergenerational and community service, public administration and planning, or social work and social policy or take advantage of one of our 4+1 programs and earn a master’s degree in nonprofit management, public management, or public administration and policy in just five years.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

  • Develop a solid foundation in the interdisciplinary field of urban studies
  • Gain awareness of the interconnectedness of individual, community, and systemic power
  • Become a critical thinker, creative leader, and skillful problem solver
  • Engage in purposeful, ethical, and collaborative research and action in urban communities
  • Cultivate the empathy, reflection, and self-advocacy needed for professional success in a globalizing world

Concentrations in Urban Studies

Explore the different concentration opportunities Worcester State has to offer Urban Studies majors!
Check out the different Urban Studies courses waiting for you at Worcester State
UR-101 Introduction to Urban Studies
A broad contextual overview of urban life that examines from a systems perspective the relationship of humans to their environment.
3 credits
UR-103 Introduction to Women's Studies
This course uses a variety of academic disciplines to study the situation of women around the world.
3 credits
UR-201 Analysis of Urban Systems
Analysis of activities, programs, and policies designed to sustain and enhance the livability of an urban environment.
3 credits
UR-212 American Metropolitan Evolution
Examination of the development of metropolitan America from a multi-disciplinary approach, with emphasis upon dynamics of urban growth, internal development of cities, immigrations, socio-economic stratification, metropolitanization, and problems deriving from growth.
3 credits
UR-213 Human Identity and Urban Environment
Examination of historical experiences, cultural patterns, and social advantages and disadvantages of different groups within society; social problems such as racism, prejudice, discrimination, and exploitation as both mainstream and non-mainstream groups experience them; and diversity of different groups and their changing dynamics. The course helps students become knowledgeable about diversity issues and materials written by and about diverse groups and develop the ability to distinguish facts from interpretations and opinions.
3 credits
UR-216 Woman and Aging in the Urban Environment
Investigation of the aging process for women in urban society, focusing on their great longevity, lower income status, and major care-giving role.
3 credits
UR-220 Immigrant City
This course explores the important role that immigrants have played in the development of society, with a particular focus on cities. The course considers why and how people move, the forces that shape their opportunities and the constraints on their lives, and how a world increasingly defined by migration is changing everything.
3 credits
UR-221 Introduction to Social Work
This course introduces students to the changing concepts, terms, and theories about the field and practice of social work; how social workers interact with individuals and society; and the different roles social workers play in a diverse, ever-changing society. It is structured to provide students with the historical and current understanding of the role of social work practitioners, and it requires that students examine their own concepts, beliefs, and ideas of what "social work" and "social worker" mean. These experiences enhance student's skills in cognitive thinking, reading, writing, and speaking.
3 credits
UR-230 Technology, Public Policy, and Urban Society
Examination of high technology and its impact on urban society in areas such as privacy, ethics, intellectual property rights, sense of community, and access to information and services.
3 credits
UR-250 Introduction to Urban Planning
An exploration of planning theory, dynamics, and practice, and how they form the modern urban planning agenda.
3 credits
UR-280 The Queer City
Introduction to the study of same-sex sexualities and their meanings and social organizations, across cultures and through time. The materials for the course are drawn from an array of disciplines, from biology to history, but center upon cultural and urban anthropology. Students learn to think critically about the role of culture and society in the construction of genders and sexualities worldwide, with an emphasis on urban contexts.
3 credits
UR-285 Urban Anthropology
Students in this course become familiar with urban anthropology through an exploration of ethnography—the study of peoples, cultures, and power dynamics—from the perspective of an insider. By investigating ethnographic fieldwork and ethnographic writing from our globalizing world, students are introduced to a number of different accounts about peoples and cultures—some struggling and some thriving—in cities spanning the globe. Through this diverse sample of lived, urban environments, students become critical thinkers about the role of culture and society in the construction of the city.
3 credits
UR-290 Gender and the City
Exploration of the ways in which gender, both male and female, structures responses of individuals to urban life and spaces.
3 credits
UR-301 Cities and Suburbs
Multi-disciplinary study of city and suburban growth patterns and problems that hamper metropolitan cooperation and affect the quality of life for city and suburban residents and businesses.
3 credits
UR-305 Group Conflict in the Urban Community
Study of conflict and its resolution in contemporary urban settings. Personal, small group, and societal strategies for conflict resolution are explored.
3 credits
UR-310 Power, Politics, and Decision Making in Urban Communities
Exploration from multi-disciplinary approach of social power and its relation to decision making in urban communities. Emphasis on theories of power, understanding research methodologies, and policy implications.
3 credits
UR-311 Urban Politics and Policies
Political behavior and perceptions in cities and towns from a multi-disciplinary perspective with emphasis on how policy is initiated, developed, and implemented in various governmental forms.
3 credits
UR-312 Worcester: A City and Its People
Exploration of the histories of Worcester's different peoples and their stories, many of which are left out of what might be called official Worcester history. Students read and research various primary and secondary sources, explore different approaches to studying and creating history, conduct fieldwork, and create papers or projects about the city's lesser-known and lesser-told histories, groups, individuals, and events.
3 credits
UR-315 Oral History for Urban Areas
Often powerful and rich personal narratives, oral histories provide insight into a past event or series of events, often communicating unofficial or previous unknown or misunderstood stories especially in urban areas. This class explores the theoretical underpinnings of memory and remembering, and best practices for oral history. Students engage in oral history work, including interviewing, recording, transcribing, analyzing, and preparing oral histories for research and dissemination.
3 credits
UR-320 Power and Urban Insecurity
This class looks at how public policy relates to the social construction of race, class, and gender categories and how urban residents navigate such policies as part of their everyday struggle for survival and stability. The course considers how popular discourse features dominant narratives of security, insecurity, and human worth when it comes to questions of how the social safety net is allocated. How do these narratives contribute to the way urban residents experience and interpret government on an everyday level? How do these narratives affect the way urban residents interact with the state and public institutions?
3 credits
UR-321 Advanced Social Work
This course builds upon basic social work skills and enhances students' understanding about the changing concepts, terms, and theories about what the field and practice of social work is. It is a more in-depth examination of the approaches used by social work professionals in assessing and meeting the needs of increasingly diverse, complex, and complicated populations.
3 credits
UR-330 Justice in the Urban Society
Theoretical perspectives on the mission of the criminal justice system and the daily operation of its sub-components.
3 credits
UR-331 Crime and the City
Investigation of crime in contemporary urban society and the social, legal, economic, and cultural strategies for dealing with crime and deviance.
3 credits
UR-332 Global Cities
For the first time in history, urban dwellers outnumber those in rural areas in the world population. Why are people increasingly flocking to cities, and what are some of the impacts of this shift on populations in different parts of the globe? As cities grow to accommodate their swelling numbers, dynamics of both inclusion and exclusion are bound up in processes of change and development. This course addresses these issues by exploring a variety of topics associated with urban exclusion, such as displacement, development, climate change, changing family dynamics, the informal sector, housing, inequality, and forms of resistance to exclusion.
3 credits
UR-340 Urban Housing Dilemma
Analysis of the factors that shape the nature, location, and supply of urban housing with special focus on federal policies and the housing needs of elders.
3 credits
UR-344 A Society for All Ages: Intergenerational Community Service
Exploration of the necessary role of community service in civic life with emphasis on harnessing the power of intergenerational programs to address social concerns.
3 credits
UR-347 Refugees in American Society
This course assesses the place of refugees in United States cities, historically and currently. We look at the experience of refugees in the U.S., relevant policies pertaining to this population, and the various popular debates circulating about refugee settlement and asylum in the U.S. The course also explores the nature of exile, displacement, and struggle in relation to urban inclusion and exclusion.
3 credits
UR-350 Urban Youth in American Society
Role and problems of youth in urban societies viewed from a variety of social science perspectives with additional employment of contemporary music and literature.
3 credits
UR-351 Public Policy and Youth Services
Role of theory, attitudes, and public opinion in the formation of policies concerning delinquency with exploration of current practices and innovative strategies.
3 credits
UR-352 Policy Planning for an Aging Society
Analysis of current social policies in regard to elders and exploration of ways in which policies need to be altered to meet growing elder needs.
3 credits
UR-353 Aging in a Global Society
Exploration of the ramification of unrelenting global aging, focusing on connections across generations.
3 credits
UR-360 Environmental Systems and Public Policy
Examination of urban ecosystems, focusing on land uses designed to effectively utilize water, open space, and other natural resources.
3 credits
UR-361 Public Policy and Environmental Issues
Investigation of the factors that determine the formation of public policy on the environment, with consideration of the roles played by state and federal regulatory agencies.
3 credits
UR-370 Leadership in Nonprofit and Public Organizations
Advanced leadership seminar for students interested in pursuing management careers in public and nonprofit urban organizations.
3 credits
UR-380 Public Policy and Cultural Diversity
This course examines contemporary policy issues and problems deriving from cultural diversity. These include areas such as immigration, population, demographics, affirmative action, public assistance, integration, separatism, political correctness, gender equality, and the role of organized religion in contemporary politics.
3 credits
UR-390 Research Methods in Urban Studies
Overview of the research process and commonly used quantitative and qualitative methods in the social sciences. The course covers the what, how, and when of qualitative interviews, key informant interviews, focus group discussions, story narratives, ethnographic research, observations, participatory action research, document review, and survey research. It also covers the ethical dimension of research.
3 credits

See the diverse career paths a degree in Urban Studies can prepare you for

There are countless career paths for urban studies students in a variety of fields.

City and Regional Planning Aide
Urban and Regional Planner
Sustainability Coordinator
Government Services Professional
Lawyer
Public Administrator
Public Policy Analyst and Researcher
Public Manager
Human Services Professional
Nonprofit Manager
Social Policymaker and Advocate
Social Worker
Data Analyst
Researcher
K-12 Teacher
University Professor

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