Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Fall 2018 - SA 364 D100

Urban Communities and Cultures (SA) (4)

Class Number: 2151

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Sep 4 – Dec 3, 2018: Wed, 9:30 a.m.–1:20 p.m.
    Vancouver

  • Prerequisites:

    SA 101 or 150 or 201W.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Anthropological approaches to urbanization, the nature of the city as a social system, and urban cultures and lifestyles. Students with credit for SA 464 may not take SA 364 for further credit.

COURSE DETAILS:

In this course we will examine social life in modern, urban contexts; we will explore the deaths and lives of great North American cities; we will look closely at the social life of streets, sidewalks, and urban squares; we will think about how history, memory, and myth make communities across the world; and we will see spaces anew with our anthropological and sociological skills. Core readings will come from Walter Benjamin, Italo Calvino, Michel de Certeau, Guy Debord, Michael Fisch, Nick Dunn, Jane Jacobs, Lisa Robertson, and others.

Grading

  • Participation 10%
  • Short writing assignments (2 x 10%) 20%
  • Presentations (2 x 10%) 20%
  • Midterm paper (5-6 pgs.) 20%
  • Term paper (10-12 pgs.) 30%

NOTES:

Grading: Where a final exam is scheduled and you do not write the exam or withdraw from the course before the deadline date, you will be assigned an N grade. Unless otherwise specified on the course outline, all other graded assignments in this course must be completed for a final grade other than N to be assigned.

Academic Dishonesty and Misconduct Policy: The Department of Sociology and Anthropology follows SFU policy in relation to grading practices, grade appeals (Policy T 20.01) and academic dishonesty and misconduct procedures (S10.01‐S10.04). Unless otherwise informed by your instructor in writing, in graded written assignments you must cite the sources you rely on and include a bibliography/list of references, following an instructor-approved citation style.  It is the responsibility of students to inform themselves of the content of SFU policies available on the SFU website: http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student.html.

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

Calvino, I. (2013). Invisible Cities. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
ISBN: 978-0-156453806

Dunn, N. (2016). Dark Matters: A Manifesto for the Nocturnal City. Alresford, UK: Zero Books.
ISBN: 978-1-782797487

Fisch, M. (2018). An Anthropology of the Machine: Tokyo’s Commuter Train Network. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
ISBN: 978-0-226558554

Robertson, L. (2010). Occasional Walks and Seven Walks from the Office for Soft Architecture. Toronto: Coach House Books.
ISBN: 978-1-552452325

Registrar Notes:

SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://students.sfu.ca/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

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS