Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Spring 2025 - URB 201 D100

Urban Inquiry and Practice (3)

Class Number: 7117

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Thu, 2:30–5:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Effective inquiries in urban studies require the application of approaches to find, analyze, and communicate data about the city, its residents, and its functions. From these applications, they can become the keys to professional urban practices in careers that focus on examining cities. GEOG 266W will be accepted in lieu of URB 201. Students with credit for FASS 211 may not take this course for further credit.

COURSE DETAILS:

Effective inquiries in Urban Studies require integrating a variety of approaches to find, analyze, and communicate data about the city, its citizens, and its functions. This data can be drawn from multiple quantitative and qualitative sources and methods to define and examine urban problems, characteristics, and their possible solutions using tools of data analysis, visualization and presentation. With a focus on historical and regional context of Vancouver, students will apply these tools and techniques to better understand its peoples, communities and neighbourhoods. These applications can become keys to open doors to professional urban practices that enable a career focus on examining cities. Such practices span a large number of occupational fields across the non-profit, private, and governmental sectors and yet, there are common threads of urban inquiry and practice that connect them and qualify practitioners of urban inquiry to start and excel in these careers.

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

  • Apply common quantitative and qualitative tools and methods of analysis in urban research.
  • Identify a basic software stack for data analysis, visualization, and presentation;
  • Develop a functional understanding of how to utilize Census information to create basic neighbourhood data profiles;
  • Develop a critical perspective on the context for quantitative datasets;
  • Utilize a data-informed approach to explore community foodways small businesses and foodways in the context of Metro Vancouver.
  • Create the foundations for a professional portfolio that will articulate and demonstrate the analytical and data literacy skills acquired in the course.

Grading

  • Getting to Know Census Data Organization Assignment 10%
  • Data Visualization Analysis (3 entries x 5% each) 15%
  • Neighbourhood Briefing with a Map and a Restaurant/Local Small Business Review 30%
  • Presentation of Briefing 10%
  • Emerging Urban Practitioner Portfolio 25%
  • Participation and Attendance / Three sentence biography 10%

Materials

MATERIALS + SUPPLIES:

Course readings will be made available on Canvas and through SFU library.

REQUIRED READING NOTES:

Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

SFU’s Academic Integrity website 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

RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION

Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the term are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.