Courses of Study 2011-2012 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
City and Regional Planning
|
|
In the College of Architecture, Art, and Planning .
Course Offerings
Faculty
K. Donaghy, chair (106 W. Sibley Hall, (607) 255-4613); A. Forsyth, director, URS program;S. Baugher, R. S. Booth, N. Brooks, S. Christopherson, J. Chusid, J. F. Forester, W. W. Goldsmith, M. Gonzalez Rivas, N. Kudva, M. Manville, R. Pendall, S. Schmidt, M. A. Tomlan, M. Warner. Emeriti: L. Beneria, P. Clavel, S. Czamanski, M. Drennan, J. W. Reps, S. Saltzman, S. W. Stein, R. T. Trancik. Visiting: I. Azis, G. Frantz, Y. Mansury, E. Thorndike, T. Vietorisz
|
The Undergraduate Program in Urban and Regional Studies:
The program in Urban and Regional Studies (URS) is a four-year academic program aimed at assessing the problems of human communities and regions. Graduates from the program receive a Bachelor of Science degree. The program provides both an excellent liberal arts education and a strong concentration of studies addressing urban and regional issues. Courses in the program provide students with a broad understanding of urban issues, the ability to assess those issues, and skills technical analysis skills. The URS program is truly interdisciplinary: students learn to evaluate urban and regional problems by using wide ranges of analytic tools and disciplinary perspectives. URS Statement of Purpose:
The URS program encompasses an interdisciplinary, liberal arts course of study focused on the forces that shape the social, economic, and political character and physical form of urban/suburban areas and their surrounding regions. Students pursue knowledge in a range of disciplines, acquire significant writing skills, quantitative and non-quantitative analytical skills, and develop the capacity to think broadly and deeply regarding the past, present, and future of urbanized communities and their inhabitants.
Like many high-quality liberal arts programs, the URS major requires students to develop a broad academic base in the physical and biological sciences, quantitative methods and mathematics, social sciences and history, humanities and the arts, and writing. The major requires students to complete a series of four introductory courses and encourages them through additional requirements to develop expertise in looking at cities, suburbs, and metropolitan regions through a series of lenses. Students use theory to examine social dynamics, politics, economics, history, design and land use patterns, and environmental problems.
Graduates pursue a wide variety of advanced studies and careers in city and regional planning, historic preservation, real estate, architecture, landscape architecture, public administration and law; and positions in the public sector: teaching, not-for-profit institutions, and consulting firms. Degree Requirements for Students Matriculating in Fall 2011:
(Note: Requirements for students who matriculated prior to Fall 2011 are somewhat different. Students should refer to the Courses of Study catalog for the year in which they matriculated.)
URS requirements for graduation include (a) eight semesters of residence; (b) 120 credits; (c) General Education Requirements consisting of writing seminars, qualification in one foreign language, and a series of distribution requirements; (d) required courses for the major; (e) area requirements for the major; (f) free electives; (g) a minimum of 34 courses; and (h) completion of the university physical education requirement. Note: Physical education credit does not count toward graduation or toward the 12-credit minimum required for good academic standing each semester. No course may satisfy more than one requirement.
More specifically these requirements include: a. First-Year Writing Seminars: Two Courses
Information regarding the First-Year Writing Seminar can be found online at www.arts.cornell.edu/knight_institute. Advanced Placement credit can be applied toward a maximum of one First-Year Writing Seminar. Students earning a score of 5 on one English literature and English language exam will receive 3 credits which will be applied toward one First-Year Writing Seminar. Students earning a score of 5 on both English literature and English language exams will receive 3 credits toward one First-Year Writing Seminar and 3 credits toward the in/out-of-college elective requirement. b. Foreign Language: Qualification in One Foreign Language
Qualification in one foreign language can be demonstrated by completing three courses in one foreign language in high school, or by demonstrating advanced standing through the Cornell Advanced Standing Examination (CASE), or by successfully completing a non-introductory foreign language course of 3 or more credits at the 2000 level or above, or by successfully completing any other non-introductory course at the 2000 level or above conducted in a foreign language, or by successfully completing 11 credits of study in a single foreign language.
Students whose speaking, reading, and writing competence in a language other than English is at the same level we would expect our entering freshmen to have in English (as shown by completing high school in that language or by special examination during their first year at Cornell) are exempt from the college’s language requirement. c. Distribution Requirements: Nine Courses
Students must successfully complete nine courses for the distribution requirement. A total of four courses must be completed in the categories of Physical and Biological Sciences (PBS) and Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning (MQR). Of those four courses, at least two must be classified as PBS and at least one course must be classified as MQR. The fourth course can be classified as either PBS or MQR. The remaining five courses must be courses identified by the College of Arts and Sciences or the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences in the categories of Cultural Analysis (CA), Historical Analysis (HA), Knowledge, Cognition, and Moral Reasoning (KCM), Literature and the Arts (LA), and Social and Behavior Analysis (SBA). These five courses must be selected from at least four of these five categories (i.e., CA, HA, KCM, LA, and SBA ). No more than three of these five courses can be taken in any one department. URS students may petition to substitute equivalent courses from the Colleges of Engineering, Human Ecology, Industrial and Labor Relations, and Architecture, Art, and Planning. Notes:
- Grades of S–U cannot be applied toward the distribution requirement.
- Advanced Placement credit cannot be applied toward the 9 course distribution requirement.
- URS students may not apply college credit earned before entering Cornell as a freshman to satisfy any distribution course requirement. However, they may petition to have that credit counted toward the 120 total credits required for graduation.
2. Required Courses for the Major: Eight Courses
Microeconomics:
One course from the following list of microeconomics courses (fall or spring, 3 or 4 credits) Statistics:
One course from the following list of statistics courses (fall or spring, 3 or 4 credits) 3. Area Requirements: Five CRP Courses
The program requires that students take courses in five areas:Design; Urban History, Society, and Politics; Land Use and the Environment; Regional Development and Globalization; and Planning Methods. Please note that offerings vary by semester and year. Please refer to the department for an up-to-date listing of course offerings each semester. a. Design (one course from designated list of courses):
Students understand the development of cities/suburbs, and regions in terms of aesthetic perspectives (both historically and in the present) and other parameters of physical design. b. Urban History, Society, and Politics (one course from designated list of courses):
Students examine the growth, development, and character of today’s cities/suburbs and metropolitan areas and their resident populations, in light of a complicated and constantly evolving interplay of historical forces, social and economic concerns, and political constituencies, ideas, and choices. c. Land Use and the Environment (one course from designated list of courses):
Students become aware of the patterns of human use of land that have shaped and continue to shape the physical, social, ecological, and economic character of cities/suburbs and regions and of the past, present, and future influence of the natural environment (including both living and nonliving elements) as modified by humans, in shaping (and in many instances substantially limiting) the growth and development of these areas. d. Regional Development and Globalization (one course from designated list of courses):
Students learn to recognize how the economic health and general well-being of particular cities/suburbs and regions, and their inhabitants, is dramatically influenced by far-flung social and economic forces whose impacts are felt throughout whole regions, nations, and even the world at large. e. Planning Methods (one course from designated list of courses):
Students gain knowledge and skills needed to analyze a broad range of phenomena pertaining to the growth of cities, suburbs, and regions and assess the well-being of their inhabitants. Planning methods include approaches to both quantitative and qualitative reasoning, use of geographical information systems, and use of other relevant software packages. Honors Program:
URS offers qualified students the opportunity to write an honors thesis. To qualify for honors, students must at least have completed the junior year, completed four semesters registered in URS, have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.3, have a minimum GPA of 3.5 in the major (including the microeconomics and statistics requirements), and have completed at least 7 of the 13 major courses. In exceptional cases, the faculty will consider a petition to waive a requirement. Once admitted, an honors student selects a faculty advisor and develops and writes a thesis with close guidance. These must be 75 or fewer pages. Cornell in Rome
The urban studies component of Cornell in Rome is offered during the spring semester for students interested in the economic, political, cultural, and social life of contemporary European cities and regions. The program is open to urban studies majors and related disciplines.
By living and studying in one of Europe’s oldest cities, students gain a deeper understanding of urban development over time experiencing ancient, medieval, Renaissance, and modern Rome through site-based classes. Students spend the majority of their time at critical historical sites and in neighborhoods where they explore current-day planning issues, or on the program’s extensive field trip program to Italy’s most important artistic, economic, and political centers.
The mandatory Rome Workshop, CRP 4160 , is a 6-credit field research course that defines the term. It requires students spend about 20 hours per week in assigned peripheral neighborhoods exploring such issues as public space, urban design, social housing, infrastructure services, immigrant integration, tourism, historic preservation, and economic development challenges.
The course uses an inductive, hands-on approach emulating professional practice by adopting techniques of investigation studied in the first two years of the URS degree. Qualitative approaches, including structured observation and citizen interviews, are combined with quantitative analysis using Italian census and cadastral data as well as the students’ own observations.
Additionally, students typically enroll in courses in art history, architecture history, photography, contemporary art, and Italian, along with architecture, art, and visiting students.
Students meet with professional planners, government officials, community activists, leading architects, researchers, and others responsible for urban policy-making. Graduate planning students from the local Italian university assist Cornell students with field research and neighborhood surveys. Courses are taught in English but studying Italian ahead of the Rome term is strongly encouraged to assist with field research.
The Rome Workshop (CRP 4160 ) counts toward the qualitative URS area requirement. URS students may fulfill up to 4 area requirements in Rome and/or in-college electives and a language requirement. Advance curriculum planning is suggested to maximize curricular opportunities. Eligibility Requirements
Undergraduates in their third or fourth year in the program in urban and regional studies are eligible to participate in Cornell in Rome. Students are admitted to the program by application and review of their record. Non-Cornell students in urban studies and related fields are encouraged to apply to participate as juniors or seniors.
Application for Cornell students is made by November 1 of the preceding year to the Cornell in Rome program office. For additional information, visit the Cornell in Rome website at www.aap.cornell.edu/rome. Cornell in Washington (CIW)
Students in good standing may earn degree credits through course work and an externship in Washington, D.C. Students at CIW may work as interns with congressional offices, executive-branch agencies, interest groups, research institutions, and other organizations involved in politics and public policy. Students take an 8-credit research course and select one or two seminars from such fields as government, history, economics, human development, architectural history, natural resources, and social policy. Cornell faculty members teach these seminars, which provide credit toward fulfillment of major, distribution, and other academic requirements. For additional information, visit the Cornell in Washington website at ciw.cornell.edu. Cornell Abroad
Qualified undergraduates are encouraged to study abroad because exposure to foreign cultures can be an eye-opening aspect of a university education. In an increasingly interdependent world, the experience of living and learning in a foreign country is invaluable. Study-abroad opportunities are continually being developed, and programs are available in many countries. The department encourages URS students to explore these opportunities. For more information, visit the Cornell Abroad website at www.cuabroad.cornell.edu. Research and Fieldwork
Students are welcome to work with department faculty members on research or other opportunities that are appropriate to their particular interests. Fieldwork and community-service options also exist for students in the Urban and Regional Studies Program. Transfer and Advanced Placement Credit:
Transfer Credit:
The general college transfer credit policies listed under Policies and Procedures apply to all transfer coursework. All transfer coursework must be evaluated and approved by the designated Cornell faculty member in the appropriate subject area. Credit can be applied toward elective requirements through an approved Transfer Credit Request form. Credit can be applied toward specific degree requirements through an approved petition. It is the student’s responsibility to complete the request forms and/or petitions and supply all required documentation. Incoming transfer students are encouraged to meet with the AAP Registrar during the first semester in the program to ensure a timely transfer of credit. Current students wishing to complete transfer credit during summer or winter sessions or while on an approved leave from Cornell should consult with the AAP Registrar and/or department prior to enrolling in courses.
Students who transfer into BS program in URS must complete a minimum of 4 semesters in residence and a minimum of 60 academic credits at Cornell after entering the program. Together with the URS program director, the AAP Registrar prepares a transfer credit evaluation for each transfer student entering the BS program in URS. To receive credit, course descriptions and syllabi may be required. The student is responsible for providing this documentation to the AAP Registrar. Advanced Placement Credit:
URS students may generally not apply advanced placement credit to general education requirements in: (1) sciences (PBS); (2) mathematics/quantitative reasoning (MQR); (3) cultural analysis (CA); (4) historical analysis (HA); (5) knowledge, cognition, and moral reasoning (KCM); (6) literature and the arts(LA); and (7) social and behavioral analysis (SBA).
URS students may apply advanced placement credit toward a maximum of one First-Year Writing Seminar. See First-Year Writing Seminar requirement above. Applying to the URS Program:
Admissions Requirements and Procedures:
Among the most important criteria for admission to the Urban and Regional Studies Program are intellectual potential and commitment—a combination of ability, achievement, motivation, diligence, and use of educational and social opportunities. Nonacademic qualifications are important as well. The department encourages students with outstanding personal qualities, initiative, and leadership ability. Above all, the department seeks students with a high level of enthusiasm and depth of interest in the study of urban and regional issues. Applicants must complete a university admission application. Although an interview is not required, applicants are urged to visit the campus if that is possible. Applicants who want further information regarding the Urban and Regional Studies Program may contact Professor Forsyth, program director, Urban and Regional Studies, Cornell University, 106 West Sibley Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853-6701, 607-255-4025). Additional information is also available on the AAP Admissions website at aap.cornell.edu/admissions. Transfer Students:
In most cases, transfer applicants should no longer be affiliated with a high school and should have completed no fewer than 12 credits of college or university work at the time of application. High school students who have completed graduation requirements at midyear and are taking college courses for the rest of the academic year should apply as freshmen.
Prospective transfer students should have taken at least 6 credits in English. In addition, students should have taken basic college-level courses distributed across the natural and social sciences, humanities, and mathematics. Applicants whose previous course work closely parallels the “General Education” requirements of the Urban and Regional Studies curriculum will have relative ease in transferring. Nevertheless, students with other academic backgrounds, such as engineering, architecture, fine arts, management, and agriculture, are eligible to apply.
Although an interview is not required, applicants are urged to visit the campus if that is possible. Applicants who want further information regarding the Urban and Regional Studies Program may contact Professor Forsyth, program director, Urban and Regional Studies, Cornell University, 106 West Sibley Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853-6701, (607) 255-4025. Additional information is also available on the AAP Admissions website at aap.cornell.edu/admissions. Additional Degree Options:
Dual-degree options. A student accepted in Cornell’s College of Arts and Sciences may earn both a B.A. in a College of Arts and Sciences major and a B.S. in Urban and Regional Studies in a total of five years. A student accepted in Cornell’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) may earn both a B.S. in Landscape Architecture and a B.S. in URS in a total of five years. Special requirements have been established for these dual-degree programs. Cornell students interested in pursuing the dual degree program should contact either the director of the Urban and Regional Studies Program or the appropriate advising dean of the College of Arts and Sciences or of CALS for further information.
Linked degree options. URS students may earn both a bachelor of science degree and a master of regional planning (M.R.P.) degree in a fifth year of study. Ordinarily the professional M.R.P. degree requires two years of work beyond that for the bachelor’s degree. Under this option, a minimum of 30 credits and a master’s thesis or thesis project are required for the M.R.P. degree. Interested students apply to the Graduate School, usually in the senior year.
Urban Studies Minor (non-URS majors):
The Urban and Regional Studies minor has been formulated specifically for those students not enrolled in the Program of Urban and Regional Studies who are interested in complementing their current academic program with an introduction to various facets of urban studies (domestic, environmental, international, professional, urban affairs).
To complete the Urban and Regional Studies (URS) minor, students must take at least six courses (minimum total of 18 credits) in the Department of City and Regional Planning (CRP). Courses must be completed with letter grade of C or above, as follows: 1. Nine (9) credits of required core courses:
2. Nine (9) credits of elective department courses at the 3000 level or higher:
(Please consult department course listings.) Additional Information:
Students meet with their home college faculty advisor. Upon completion of course requirements, students complete a URS minor application form, available in 106 W. Sibley Hall. The URS program director (who also serves as URS minor advisor) verifies completion of the minor, signs the form, and sends a letter (on department letterhead) to the student’s home college. The home college will record completion of the URS minor on the student’s transcript. The Graduate Program in City and Regional Planning:
There are five graduate degree programs in the city and regional planning department. The master of regional planning program (M.R.P.) stresses skills basic to professional planning practice and responds to individual needs and interests. The faculty strongly recommends that students concentrate in one of three areas of planning. The Land Use and Environmental Planning concentration focuses on the forces and actions that directly affect the physical character, transformation, rehabilitation, and preservation of cities and regions. Economic Development Planning: Communities and Regions focuses on the economies of neighborhoods, cities, and regions with the intent of producing more informed and effective economic development policy. International Studies in Planning (ISP) focuses on urban, regional, and international development processes and their implications for people’s lives and livelihoods in diverse international contexts.
The 60-credit master of arts (M.A.) in historic preservation planning prepares students for professional work in the creative preservation and use of our physical heritage.
The master of science (M.S.) or master of arts (M.A.) degree in regional science is the study of regional economies and their interactions with each other. Central issues include capital flows, trade, location of economic activity, growth, and regional conflicts. Graduates are positioned for careers as researchers and policy analysts at the highest levels in national governments, corporations, and international organizations.
The doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) program is for those who seek advanced, specialized education for a career in teaching, research, or policy making. Graduate Internships in Rome
Graduate planning and international studies students gain invaluable work experience as full-time interns with one of the United Nations agencies headquartered in Rome (such as the Food and Agricultural Organization or the World Food Programme) or in a non-governmental agency.
Graduate applications to the program should be accompanied by a resume and a brief cover letter describing the student’s interests, skills, and research/work experience as far in advance of the proposed term abroad as possible. Definition of Humanities and Social Sciences Categories:
Cultural Analysis (CA)
Courses in this area study human life in particular cultural contexts through interpretive analysis of individual behavior, discourse, and social practice. Topics include belief systems (science, medicine, religion), expressive arts and symbolic behavior (visual arts, performance, poetry, myth, narrative, ritual), identity (nationality, race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality), social groups and institutions (family, market, community), power and politics (states, colonialism, inequality).
Historical Analysis (HA)
Courses in this group interpret continuities and changes—political, social, economic, diplomatic, religious, intellectual, artistic, scientific—through time. The focus may be on groups of people, dominant or subordinate, a specific country or region, an event, a process, or a time period.
Knowledge, Cognition, and Moral Reasoning (KCM)
Offerings in this area investigate the bases of human knowledge in its broadest sense, ranging from cognitive faculties shared by humans and animals such as perception, to abstract reasoning, to the ability to form and justify moral judgments. Courses investigating the sources, structure, and limits of cognition may use the methodologies of science, cognitive psychology, linguistics, or philosophy. Courses focusing on moral reasoning explore ways of reflecting on ethical questions that concern the nature of justice, the good life, or human values in general.
Literature and the Arts (LA)
Offerings in this area explore literature and the arts in two different but related ways. Some courses focus on the critical study of artworks and on their history, aesthetics, and theory. These courses develop skills of reading, observing, and hearing and encourage reflection on such experiences; many investigate the interplay among individual achievement, artistic tradition, and historical context. Other courses are devoted to the production and performance of artworks (in creative writing, performing arts, and media such as film and video). These courses emphasize the interaction among technical mastery, cognitive knowledge, and creative imagination. Please note that Architectural History and Art studio courses can satisfy LA.
Social and Behavioral Analysis (SBA)
Courses in this area examine human life in its social context through the use of social scientific methods, often including hypothesis testing, scientific sampling techniques, and statistical analysis. Topics studied range from the thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and attitudes of individuals to interpersonal relations between individuals (e.g., in friendship, love, conflict) to larger social organizations (e.g., the family, society, religious or educational or civic institutions, the economy, government) to the relationships and conflicts among groups or individuals (e.g., discrimination, inequality, prejudice, stigmas, conflict resolution). Please note that DEA 1500 can satisfy SBA. Course Listings: MQR and PBS
Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning List:
Applied Economics and Management:
City and Regional Planning:
Earth and Atmospheric Sciences:
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology:
Industrial and Labor Relations:
Mathematics:
All 3- or 4-credit courses except: Policy Analysis and Management:
Physical and Biological Sciences Primary List
(The courses listed individually are all cross-listed in an Arts and Sciences science department.) Applied and Engineering Physics:
Astronomy:
All 3- or 4-credit courses except: Biological Sciences:
All 3- or 4-credit courses except: Biological and Environmental Engineering:
Chemistry and Chemical Biology:
All 3- or 4-credit courses. Earth and Atmospheric Sciences:
All 3- or 4-credit courses except: Electrical and Computer Engineering:
Feminist, Gender, & Sexuality Studies:
Physics:
All 3- or 4-credit courses. Science and Technology Studies:
Physical and Biological Sciences Supplementary List:
Students may select additional science courses from the following list: Applied and Engineering Physics:
Electrical and Computer Engineering:
City and Regional Planning Courses:
Course Information:
Most courses in the Department of City and Regional Planning are open to students in any college of the university who have fulfilled the prerequisites and have the permission of the instructor.
The department attempts to offer courses according to the information that follows. However, students should check with the department at the beginning of each semester for late changes.
Course Offerings |
|
|
|