Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Fall 2020 - GEOG 261 D100

Encountering the City (3)

Class Number: 4089

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Dec 15, 2020: Tue, 5:00–6:00 p.m.
    Burnaby

    Sep 9 – Dec 8, 2020: Fri, 10:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Exam Times + Location:

    Dec 15, 2020
    Tue, 5:00–5:00 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Instructor:

    Eugene McCann
    emccann@sfu.ca
    1 778 782-2005
    Office: RCB 6229

  • Prerequisites:

    GEOG 100 or 102.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

An introduction to key concepts and themes in contemporary geographical approaches to cities and urbanization. Breadth-Social Sciences.

COURSE DETAILS:

Course Details 
Cities – their bright lights, spectacular buildings, and jarring contrasts – have sparked our imaginations for centuries.  They are places of possibility and danger, of hope and disappointment, of power and powerlessness, of glamour and destitution, of production and consumption.  They are often seen as different or special.  They are frequently places where new innovations emerge and places that epitomize new forms of social organization.  If you are interested in cities, if you are excited about living in one and by the opportunity to learn more about them, then this course is for you. Urban geographers study the spaces, environments, and ways of life of cities.  This course introduces key concepts and approaches in contemporary urban geography.  It will draw upon examples from North America and other parts of the world.  The following broad themes will feature in the course: The process of urbanization; the urban built environment; public space; inequality, exclusion, and segregation; politics in (and of) the city; suburbanization; city-regions; representations of the city; social identity and urban space; nature and the city; urban futures. The course includes an Experiential Learning component: a Self-Directed Walking and Transit tour of Metro Vancouver.  (I plan for this to be part of the course in Fall 2020.)

Course delivery in Fall 2020:

·       Lectures (asynchronous): Recordings of lectures (voice with PowerPoint) will be available each week.  These will be divided into roughly 15 minute sections.
·       Group discussions and Q&A sessions (synchronous):  Optional, one hour per week, using Zoom. *These will be in the first hour of the scheduled lecture slot. 
·       Online text-based discussions (asynchronous):  Using Canvas discussion boards, substituting for tutorials.
·       Office Hours:  Your TA and instructor will hold office hours one hour each per week at a set time on Zoom, with other meeting time available by appointment.

There will be no tutorials in the first week of class.

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

Course-Level Educational Goals

Students who complete this course will have an introductory-level understanding of key concepts and themes in contemporary urban studies; a clear sense of how geographical concepts, including space, place, and scale, enhance our understanding of cities; and an experiential understanding of how an urban region is shaped by social, political, economic, and environmental processes.

Grading

  • Participation in online text-based discussions: 20%
  • Writing Assignments: 35%
  • Mid-term exam - asynchronous 20%
  • Final Exam - asynchronous 25%

NOTES:

Grading Scale (Tentative)

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

Andrew Jonas, Eugene McCann, & Mary Thomas (2015) Urban Geography: A Critical Introduction.  Malden, Mass.: Wiley-Blackwell.

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating.  Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the University community.  Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the University. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the University. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html

TEACHING AT SFU IN FALL 2020

Teaching at SFU in fall 2020 will be conducted primarily through remote methods. There will be in-person course components in a few exceptional cases where this is fundamental to the educational goals of the course. Such course components will be clearly identified at registration, as will course components that will be “live” (synchronous) vs. at your own pace (asynchronous). Enrollment acknowledges that remote study may entail different modes of learning, interaction with your instructor, and ways of getting feedback on your work than may be the case for in-person classes. To ensure you can access all course materials, we recommend you have access to a computer with a microphone and camera, and the internet. In some cases your instructor may use Zoom or other means requiring a camera and microphone to invigilate exams. If proctoring software will be used, this will be confirmed in the first week of class.

Students with hidden or visible disabilities who believe they may need class or exam accommodations, including in the current context of remote learning, are encouraged to register with the SFU Centre for Accessible Learning (caladmin@sfu.ca or 778-782-3112).