Growth and Structure of Cities (Bryn Mawr)
Department Website:
https://www.brynmawr.edu/cities
The interdisciplinary major challenges students to understand the dynamic relationships connecting urban spatial organization and the built environment with politics, economics, cultures and societies worldwide. Core introductory classes present analytic approaches that explore issues of changing forms of the city over time and explore the variety of ways through which women and men have re-created global urban life across history and across cultures. With these foundations, students pursue their interests through classes in architecture, urban social and economic relations, urban history, studies of planning and the environmental conditions of urban life. Opportunities for internships, volunteering, and study abroad also enrich the major. Advanced seminars further ground the course of study by focusing on specific cities and topics.
Complementing the major, students may also choose to do a minor or a second major that allows them to complement their work in Cities with more specialized knowledge, whether in Environmental Studies, Economics, or studies of language and culture. Students also may apply for the 3-2 Program in City and Regional Planning in their junior year, offered in cooperation with the University of Pennsylvania, after filling prerequisites there.
Major Requirements
A minimum of 15 courses (11 courses in Cities and four allied courses in other related fields) is required to complete the major. Two introductory courses (CITY B185, CITY B190) balance sociocultural and formal approaches to urban form and the built environment, and introduce cross-cultural and historical comparison of urban development. The introductory sequence should be completed with a broader architectural survey course (CITY B253, CITY B254, CITY B255) and a second social science course that entails extended analysis and writing (CITY B229). These courses should be completed as early as possible in the first and second years; at least two of them must be taken by the end of the first semester of the sophomore year.
Writing across multiple disciplines is central to the major, drawing on sources as varied as architectural and visual materials, ethnographic fieldwork, archival and textual study, theoretical reflection and policy engagement. Students write and receive commentary on their arguments and expression from their introductory classes through their required capstone thesis. While most courses in the major have important writing components, at the moment CITY B229 acts as our primary writing-intensive course, asking students to draw upon the breadth of their interests to focus on researching, writing and rewriting within a comparative framework. In Fall 2018, we will explore other dimensions of writing in the humanities with CITY B377: Writing Architecture. At the same time, students are encouraged to use other classes within the major to develop a range of skills in methods, theory, presentations, oral and written.
After these introductory courses, each student selects six elective courses within the Cities Department, including cross-listed courses. At least two classes must be at the 300 level in Cities or cross-listed courses. A strong foundation in our varied methods is also intrinsic to the Cities major. In the introductory classes, students will be exposed to architectural and spatial analyses, qualitative and quantitative methods, and comparative case studies, based in an awareness of local and global histories. More specialized methods classes include CITY B217 (Social Science Methods), CITY B201 (GIS) and our architectural studio sequence (CITY B226/CITY B228), which allows students to make informed choices about careers in architecture and design. The use of appropriate methods is honed in the senior thesis.
In the senior year, a capstone course is required of all majors. Most students join together in a research seminar, CITY B398, in the fall of that year, writing a 40-60 page thesis on a topic of their choice, based on primary documents and original research and/or design. Occasionally, however, after consultation with the major advisors, the student may elect another 300-level course or a program for independent research. This is often the case with double majors who write a thesis in another field.
Finally, each student must also identify four courses outside Cities that represent expertise to complement her work in the major. These may include courses such as physics and calculus for architects, additional courses in economics, political science, sociology, or anthropology for students more focused on the social sciences and planning, or courses that build on language, design, or regional interests. Any minor, concentration, or second major fulfills this requirement. Cities courses that are cross-listed with other departments or originate in them can be counted only once in the course selection, although they may be either allied or elective courses.
Both the Cities Department electives and the four or more allied courses must be chosen in close consultation with the major advisors in order to create a strongly coherent sequence and focus. This is especially true for students interested in architectural design, who will need to arrange studio courses (CITY B226, CITY B228) as well as accompanying courses in math, science and architectural history; they should contact the department chair or Daniela Voith in their first year. Students interested in a second major should consult with advisors early on.
Students should also note that many courses in the department beyond the introductory sequence are not given every year; this is true as well with regard to cross-listed courses. Students should also note that courses may carry prerequisites in cities, art history, economics, history, sociology, or the natural sciences and have limited enrollments because of space and technology (Architecture Studio, GIS).
Cities students should test their knowledge through engagement with cities worldwide beyond the classroom. Hence programs for study abroad or off campus are encouraged, within the limits of the Bryn Mawr and Haverford rules and practices. In general, a one-semester program is strongly preferred. The Cities Department regularly works with off-campus and study-abroad programs that are strong in architectural history, planning, and design, as well as those that allow students to pursue social and cultural interests and hone language skills. Students who would like to spend part or all of their junior year away must consult with the major advisors and appropriate deans early in their sophomore year. Internships are also an important component of the program either in the summer or for credit with faculty supervision.
Over nearly five decades, Cities students have created major plans that have allowed them to develop their interests in cities with an eye toward future engagement with architecture, planning, ethnography, history, law, environmental studies, mass media, public health, the fine arts, and other fields. No matter the focus, though, each Cities student develops solid foundations in both the history of architectural and urban form and the analysis of urban culture, societies, and policy. Careful methodological choices, clear analytical writing, and critical visual readings constitute the hallmarks of the major. Strong interactions with faculty and other students and alums that will continue even after graduation also characterizes the department as a growing and creative social cohort beyond Bryn Mawr and Haverford as well.
Minor Requirements
Students who wish to minor in the Cities Department must take at least two out of the four required courses and four cities electives, including two at the 300 level. Senior Seminar is not mandatory for fulfilling the cities minor.
Faculty at Bryn Mawr
Jeffrey CohenTerm Professor in Growth and Structure of Cities
Jennifer Hurley
Visiting Instructor
Dirk Kinsey
Visiting Instructor
Min Kyung Lee
Associate Professor of Growth and Structure of Cities
Gary McDonogh
Helen Herrmann Chair and Professor of Growth and Structure of Cities
Samuel Olshin
Senior Visiting Studio Critic in the Growth and Structure of Cities Program
Lauren Restrepo
Assistant Professor of Growth and Structure of Cities
Matthew Ruben
Visiting Assistant Professor
Daniela Voith
Senior Lecturer in the Growth and Structure of Cities Program
Courses
CITY B185 URBAN CULTURE AND SOCIETY (1.0 Credit)
Gary McDonogh, Jennifer Hurley
Examines techniques and questions of the social sciences as tools for studying historical and contemporary cities. Topics include political-economic organization, conflict and social differentiation (class, ethnicity and gender), and cultural production and representation. Philadelphia features prominently in discussion, reading and exploration as do global metropolitan comparisons through papers involving fieldwork, critical reading and planning/problem solving using qualitative and quantitative methods.
(Offered: Fall 2023)
CITY B190 THE FORM OF THE CITY: URBAN FORM FROM ANTIQUITY TO THE PRESENT (1.0 Credit)
Min Kyung Lee
Division: Social Science
Domain(s): B: Analysis of the Social World
This course studies the city as a three-dimensional artifact. A variety of factors, geography, economic and population structure, politics, planning, and aesthetics are considered as determinants of urban form.
(Offered: Spring 2024)
CITY B201 INTRODUCTION TO GIS FOR SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS (1.0 Credit)
Dirk Kinsey
Domain(s): B: Analysis of the Social World; C: Physical and Natural Processes
This course is designed to introduce the foundations of GIS with emphasis on applications for social and environmental analysis. It deals with basic principles of GIS and its use in spatial analysis and information management. Ultimately, students will design and carry out research projects on topics of their own choosing. Prerequisite: At least sophomore standing and Quantitative Readiness are required (i.e.the quantitative readiness assessment or Quan B001).
(Offered: Fall 2023, Spring 2024)
CITY B207 TOPICS IN URBAN STUDIES (1.0 Credit)
Division: Social Science
This is a topics course. Course content varies.
(Offered: Spring 2024)
CITY B217 TOPICS IN RESEARCH METHODS (1.0 Credit)
Jennifer Hurley
Division: Quantitative; Social Science
Domain(s): B: Analysis of the Social World
This is a topics course. Course content varies.
(Offered: Fall 2023)
CITY B226 INTRODUCTION TO ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN (1.0 Credit)
Daniela Voith, Samuel Olshin
Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)
This studio design course introduces the principles of architectural design. Suggested Preparation: drawing, some history of architecture, and permission of instructor.
(Offered: Fall 2023)
CITY B228 PROBLEMS IN ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN (1.0 Credit)
Daniela Voith
Division: Humanities
A continuation of CITY 226 at a more advanced level. Prerequisites: CITY B226 or permission of instructor.
(Offered: Spring 2024)
CITY B229 TOPICS IN COMPARATIVE URBANISM (1.0 Credit)
Gary McDonogh
Division: Social Science
Domain(s): B: Analysis of the Social World
This is a topics course. Course content varies.
(Offered: Spring 2024)
CITY B240 CITIES OF THE GLOBAL SOUTH (1.0 Credit)
Lauren Restrepo
Division: Humanities
This course surveys the dynamic social and spatial processes that make (and constantly re-make) cities in the Global South. We examine what it means to be a city in the ‘Global South’ and study the commonalities that unite these spaces in a post-colonial, post-Bretton Woods world. That said, this is a course that centers diversity among cases in Latin America, the Middle East/North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Southeast Asia: the unique demands and interventions of people and community groups working for a better urban life, the experimental efforts of local political leaders and planners, and the ways in which particular local histories layer upon themselves to produce a world of singular urban experiences. Local film, memoir, activist non-fiction, and interviews with local planners and practitioners will supplement academic readings to provide a ‘street-level’ view of everyday life in global cities.
CITY B248 ARCHITECTURAL HISTORY RESEARCH WORKSHOP (1.0 Credit)
Jeffrey Cohen
This course aims to build students’ mastery at working with historical documents, both visual and textual, and the rich body of scholarly writings that offer key materials for research in architectural and urban history. The course will operate as a collective workshop that will frame structured adventures in research, starting with a detailed focus on the evolution of places through time. We will work with a wide range of document types, and among our best new friends will be highly detailed old maps and historical views, from watercolors and prints to early photographs. City directories, records of ownership, census information, newspaper notices, and documents related to building construction and form will complement these to fill in key elements in emerging narratives. Such sources will also allow us to explore the agency of individuals in a variety of roles that have shaped places, and the lives framed by those building activities. Beyond focusing on specific sites to construct microhistories, we will also look for larger patterns of built form in which they participate, alongside other contingent narratives from the practices of architects to the activities of developers, well-defined building typologies, and the roots of demographic distributions. In our workshop sessions we will engage different types of evidence and analytical resources through small exercises, imagining the kinds of questions and curiosities such materials might inform, as well as inverting such inquiries, starting with the questions. Our overall model will be to delve in and then report out, in a range of ways.
(Offered: Fall 2023)
CITY B250 TOPICS: GROWTH & SPATIAL ORG OF CITIES (1.0 Credit)
Jeffrey Cohen
This is a topics course. Course content varies.
(Offered: Spring 2024)
CITY B253 BEFORE MODERNISM: ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISM OF THE 18TH AND 19TH CENTURIES (1.0 Credit)
Jeffrey Cohen
Division: Humanities
The course frames the topic of architecture before the impact of 20th century Modernism, with a special focus on the two prior centuries - especially the 19th - in ways that treat them on their own terms rather than as precursors of more modern technologies and forms of expression. The course will integrate urbanistic and vernacular perspectives alongside more familiar landmark exemplars. Key goals and components of the course will include attaining a facility within pertinent bibliographical and digital landscapes, formal analysis and research skills exercised in writing projects, class field-trips, and a nuanced mastery of the narratives embodied in the architecture of these centuries.
CITY B254 HISTORY OF MODERN ARCHITECTURE (1.0 Credit)
Min Kyung Lee
Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)
A survey of the development of modern architecture since the 18th century.
(Offered: Fall 2023)
CITY B306 ADVANCED FIELDWORK TECHNIQUES: PLACES IN TIME (1.0 Credit)
Jeffrey Cohen
Division: Social Science
A hands-on workshop for research into the histories of places, intended to bring students into contact with some of the raw materials of architectural and urban history. A focus will be placed on historical images and texts, and on creating engaging informational experiences that are transparent to their evidentiary basis.
CITY B328 ANALYSIS OF GEOSPATIAL DATA USING GIS (1.0 Credit)
Dirk Kinsey
Division: Natural Science
Domain(s): C: Physical and Natural Processes
An advanced course for students with prior GIS experience involving individual projects and collaboration with faculty. Completion of GIS (City 201) or equivalent with 3.7 or above. Instructor permission required after discussion of project.
(Offered: Spring 2024)
CITY B337 THE CHINESE CITY (1.0 Credit)
Lauren Restrepo
This course examines Chinese urbanization as both a physical and social process. Drawing broadly on scholarship in anthropology, political science, geography, and city planning, we will construct a history of the present of Chinese cities. By taking the long view on China’s urban development, this course seeks to contextualize and make sense of the sometimes dazzling, sometimes dismal, and often contested landscape of everyday life in contemporary urban China. Prior familiarity with China and the Chinese language is welcomed but not required.
CITY B345 ADVANCED TOPICS IN ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIETY (1.0 Credit)
Min Kyung Lee
This is a topics course. Topics vary.
CITY B350 URBAN PROJECTS: CITIES PRAXIS (1.0 Credit)
Min Kyung Lee
In this course advanced students will work with local groups around concrete projects. Class sessions will convene to discuss background readings as well as evaluation of tools and experiences.
(Offered: Fall 2023)
CITY B360 TOPICS: URBAN CULTURE AND SOCIETY (1.0 Credit)
Lauren Restrepo
Division: Social Science
Domain(s): B: Analysis of the Social World
This is a topics course. Course content varies.
(Offered: Fall 2023, Spring 2024)
CITY B365 TOPICS: TECHNIQUES OF THE CITY (1.0 Credit)
Matthew Ruben
Division: Social Science
This is a topics course. Course content varies.
CITY B377 TOPICS IN MODERN ARCHITECTURE (1.0 Credit)
Staff
Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)
This is a topics course on modern architecture. Topics vary.
(Offered: Spring 2024)
CITY B398 SENIOR SEMINAR (1.0 Credit)
Gary McDonogh, Jeffrey Cohen, Jennifer Hurley
Division: Social Science
An intensive research seminar designed to guide students in writing a senior thesis.
(Offered: Fall 2023)
CITY B403 INDEPENDENT STUDY (1.0 Credit)
Gary McDonogh, Min Kyung Lee
Division: Social Science
(Offered: Fall 2023, Spring 2024)
CITY B415 TEACHING ASSISTANT (1.0 Credit)
Gary McDonogh
Division: Social Science
An exploration of course planning, pedagogy and creative thinking as students work to help others understand pathways they have already explored in introductory and writing classes. This opportunity is available only to advanced students of highest standing by professorial invitation.
(Offered: Fall 2023)
CITY B420 PRAXIS FIELDWORK SEMINAR (1.0 Credit)
Gary McDonogh, Staff
CITY B425 PRAXIS III: INDEPENDENT STUDY (1.0 Credit)
Gary McDonogh
Praxis III courses are Independent Study courses and are developed by individual students, in collaboration with faculty and field supervisors. A Praxis courses is distinguished by genuine collaboration with fieldsite organizations and by a dynamic process of reflection that incorporates lessons learned in the field into the classroom setting and applies theoretical understanding gained through classroom study to work done in the broader community.
CITY B450 URBAN INTERNSHIPS/PRAXIS (1.0 Credit)
Staff
Division: Social Science
Domain(s): B: Analysis of the Social World
Individual opportunities to engage in praxis in the greater Philadelphia area; internships must be arranged prior to registration for the semester in which the internship is taken. Prerequisite: permission of instructor.
(Offered: Fall 2023, Spring 2024)