Seeking Solutions to Pressing Urban Issues in Partnership with Chicago Communities

The Urban Studies minor provides students with a unique opportunity to gain an understanding of how a city works. An interdisciplinary program of the College of Arts and Sciences, Urban Studies combines coursework in fields like sociology, psychology, history, philosophy, criminal justice, economy, environmental studies, and political science. Not only do students study social, political, economic, and cultural institutions in Chicago (and beyond), but they also get involved in research projects with community organizations seeking solutions to pressing urban issues.

The distinctive capstone of the minor consists of two courses: Urban Studies Seminar and Urban Studies Research. In the seminar, students learn about contemporary urban policy from readings, discussions, guest speakers, and neighborhood tours. In the research course, students contribute to a community-based, collaborative research project (housed at the Center for Urban Research and Learning – CURL www.luc.edu/curl) where they work with graduate students, faculty, community organizations, and government agencies.

The minor consists of two tracks:

• General Track: Receive a broad introduction to themes and issues such as urban politics and com­munity life, as well as racial, ethnic, and economic inequality.
• Environmental Sustainability Track: Focus on both sustainability in the social world (e.g. health, housing, education, jobs, and community) and in the physical environment (e.g. water, air, and soil).

Curriculum

General Track Requirements

The General track gives students a broad introduction into themes and issues within the broader field of Urban Studies. As an interdisciplinary minor, students in the General track are able to select from several disciplinary lenses to better understand urban areas and the issues they face. In addition, students will – in the capstone research course – contribute to active solutions to many of the issues facing local communities.

Overview

A minor in urban studies requires 18 hours of credit as follows:

• One Urban Theory Course (3 Hours)
• One Research Methods Course (3 Hours)
• Two Electives (6 Hours)
• Two Capstone Courses (6 Hours)

Course Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Urban Theory
Select one of the following:		3
ECON 320	Urban Economics
HIST 386	Creation the American Metropolis
PLSC 334	Urban Policies and Problems
PLSC 390	Urban Politics
SOCL 234	City, Suburbs & Beyond
Research Methods
Select one of the following:		3
ANTH 317	Ethnographic Methods
CJC 205	Research Methods
COMM 365	Naturalistic Methods Communication Research
COMM 366	Observing/Measuring Cmun Behavior
COMM 367	Rhetorical Criticism
PSYC 306	Research Methods in Psychology
SOCL 206	Principles of Social Research
SOWK 390	Research and Evaluation in Social Work Practice
Required Electives 1
Select two of the following:		6
ANTH 309	Urban Anthropology
CJC 371	Victimology
CJC 352	Gangs
CJC 372	Race, Ethnicity, and Criminal Justice
COMM 296	Themes in Advertising/Public Relations
COMM 371	Special Topics Communication Studies (Interviewing for Broadcast)
COMM 371	Special Topics Communication Studies (Politics and the Press)
COMM 371	Special Topics Communication Studies (Photojournalism)
ECON 320	Urban Economics
ELPS 240	Urban Education: Policy and Practice
ENVS 380	Introduction to Geographic Information Systems
FNAR 203	Chicago: Face of a City
HIST 300	Topics in History
HIST 318C	London 1550 - 1715
HIST 385	Chicago in America
HIST 386	Creation the American Metropolis
PLSC 224
PLSC 300	Contemporary Political Issues
PLSC 372	Crime, Race & Violence
PLSC 390	Urban Politics
PSYC 374	Community Psychology
SOCL 125	Chicago: Urban Metropolis
SOCL 234	City, Suburbs & Beyond
SOCL 235	Communities in a Global Age
SOWK 361	Special Topics (Black Men in America)
SOWK 370	Power, Oppression, Privilege, and Social Justice
THEO 192	Topics in Moral Problems (Urban Issues)
Capstone Courses
Courses taken concurrently.
SOCL 335 / PLSC 335	Urban Semester Seminar	3
URB 397 / PLSC 397	Urban Studies Research	3
Total Hours		18

¹

Other elective courses may be added on a semester-by-semester basis. Please confer with program director.

Double Dipping Policy

Urban Studies follows the College policy for Double Dipping: Not less than 8 credit hours in the individual student’s transcript must be unique to each minor; that is, the courses in question are considered as actually fulfilling requirements of one minor, not of more than one minor or major. 

Learning Outcomes

Students in the Urban Studies minor will:

• Understand the major developments, conflicts, and events that have shaped urban life
• Contribute to active solutions to many of the issues facing local communities
• Recognize the roots of urban social problems
• Develop a deeper understanding of the methods researchers use to study urban life
• Appreciate the links among social and physical dimensions of the urban environment (Environmental Sustainability Track)
• Gain an understanding of sustainable policy solutions that bridge social science and natural science approaches (Environmental Sustainability Track)