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Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Urban Studies

BA in Urban Studies with Co-operative Education

Note: A Minor is offered in Urban Studies.

Urban Studies is a broad interdisciplinary program designed to provide an integrated understanding of the social, political, economic, cultural, and geographic processes that shape urban life. Cities are sites of great cultural and ethnic diversity, economic innovation, cultural expression, resource consumption, wealth generation, and political conflict and cooperation. Today most developed societies are predominantly urban, even as global processes increasingly shape them. Understanding the processes that shape cities, as well as the ways in which cities shape processes operating at other scales, lies at the heart of Urban Studies.

The Urban Studies program provides a strong background for students interested in working in public and private sector fields including urban and regional planning, architecture, environmental design, economic development, city administration, social services and policy, cultural programming, urban politics, and education.

Program Director: B.A. Miller

Website: http://arts.ucalgary.ca/ubst/

Questions?

For guidance on where to get program advice, see the Faculty of Arts website under http://arts.ucalgary.ca/undergraduate/student-support.

Prospective students wishing to enter the BA (Urban Studies) Program must meet the criteria in the section of this Calendar on A.2 “Admission Requirements” at the University of Calgary. Annual application deadlines are set in the Applications for Admission Schedule.

Urban Studies programs cannot be taken in conjunction with programs in Geography. This restriction applies to Major-plus-Minor combinations, Double Majors, Combined Degrees and Second Baccalaureate Degrees.

Note: Other Minors, Double Majors, and Combined Degree are possible. An Urban Studies degree can be combined with a Major or Minor in fields such as African Studies, Architectural Studies, Canadian Studies, Communications Studies, Development Studies, East Asian Studies, Environmental Science, Film Studies, Latin American Studies, Management and Society, Transportation Studies, Women's Studies, Anthropology, Economics, History, Political Science, or Sociology. However, the same courses may not be used toward both a Major and a Minor, or toward two Majors. A maximum of 10 full-course equivalents is allowed in any discipline within the Major Field of Urban Studies.

Field of Urban Studies

The Interdisciplinary Field of Urban Studies consists of the following categories and courses:

A. Integrative Courses

Urban Studies 253 and 591.

B. Fundamentals of Cities

Anthropology 379; Canadian Studies 355; Economics 365; Geography 341, 351, 451*, 553*, 565*; Political Science 425*; Sociology 353.

C. Specialized Urban Courses

Anthropology 479; Archaeology 325; Civil Engineering 473; East Asian Studies 321; Geography 451*, 463, 479, 551, 553*, 555, 565*; Greek and Roman Studies 325, 327, 445, 447; History 354, 535¹; Political Science 425*, 447, 451; Sociology 453, 467, 471, 499; Transportation Studies 301, 303, 473, 499, 503, 513; Urban Studies 311, 313, 451, 501, 505

¹Will be accepted when the topic is appropriate. Obtaining approval from the Faculty of Arts Program Information Centre may be required.

Research Methods for Urban Studies

The following Research Methods courses are relevant to the Field of Urban Studies:

A. Qualitative Methods:

Anthropology 411*; Communications Studies 371; English 302; Geography 340; General Studies 313; Political Science 357; Sociology 313*, 413*, 613

B. Quantitative Methods:

Economics 395; Geography 339, 439; Political Science 399*; Psychology 312*; Sociology 311*, 313*, 315; Courses labeled Statistics*.

C. Geographic Information Systems/Remote Sensing:

Geography 333, 357, 433, 437, 557.

Notes:

• The following important restrictions apply to the courses indicated with an asterisk (*):
  (a) Credit permitted for only one of Anthropology 411 or Sociology 413
  (b) Credit towards degree requirements will be given for only one of Anthropology 307, Applied Psychology 301 and 303, Engineering 319, Political Science 399, Psychology 312, Sociology 311, Statistics 201 and 211, 213 and 217, 327, 333, 357; that one being a course(s) appropriate to the degree program.
  (c) Students may take both Political Science 425 and Geography 565, but only one may be counted toward the Fundamentals of Cities requirement.
  (d) Geography 451, 553, 565, and Political Science 425 may be counted toward either the Fundamentals of Cities requirement or the Specialized Urban Courses requirement.
  (e) Sociology 313 may be counted towards either the Qualitative or Quantitative requirement.
• Most of the courses listed above have prerequisites, many of which lie outside the Field of Urban Studies. It is the student's responsibility to ensure that prerequisites are completed.
• Courses with a strong urban component may be approved by the Program Director. Advanced students with strong academic records may also consider a number of 600-level courses offered through the Faculty of Environmental Design.
• Additional courses in the field may be listed on the Faculty of Arts website.