Loyola Marymount University Bulletin 2011-2012 > Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts > Urban Studies

Urban Studies

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Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts

In this section:

Urban Studies Model Four-Year Plan

Director

Peter R. Hoffman

Faculty

Associate Professor: Peter R. Hoffman

Assistant Professor: Mona Seymour

Objectives

As an interdisciplinary program, Urban Studies encourages students to examine urbanization and the multitude of issues inherent in urban life from the perspectives of a wide range of disciplines and methodological traditions. The critical analysis of urban issues helps students evaluate the various political, sociocultural, and economic strategies available to urban planners, local governments, law enforcement agencies, and others seeking to remedy the problems of contemporary cities.

The curriculum of the Urban Studies program, including its internship program, allows students to take advantage of one of LMU’s greatest assets: the many linkages that connect LMU to the extraordinarily dynamic, multicultural metropolitan area surrounding the University. Los Angeles is both an educational resource and a laboratory for Urban Studies students.

Career options for Urban Studies majors may be found in local government, law enforcement, real estate development, and urban social services. The major is also appropriate preparation for students seeking careers or graduate education in urban planning, public administration, social welfare, policy analysis, or the law.

Urban Studies Student Learning Outcomes

By virtue of their Urban Studies Program courses, students should know:

The general history of urbanization and its associated economic and demographic processes
The structures and expressions of urbanization and urban life associated with modern and postmodern cities
The structures and expressions of urbanization and urban life associated with cities of the developed realms/core and those associated with cities of the less developed realm/periphery
The basic research questions and agendas associated with the various disciplines contributing to our understanding of urban issues
The general expressions of urbanization and urban life associated with contemporary Los Angeles
The common theories, practices, and methodologies employed in contemporary urban planning and policy analysis;

By virtue of their Urban Studies Program courses, students should be able to:

Effectively employ contemporary social science methodology in the analysis of urban issues
Demonstrate written and oral competencies in the analysis of urban issues and policy
Identify and utilize appropriate primary data, including census materials, for the analysis of urban issues
Apply their understanding of urban issues to the development and critical analysis of programs and policies appropriate to addressing contemporary social and economic problems
Successfully pursue graduate education in such areas as urban planning, public administration, policy analysis, social welfare, and the law upon completion of their major;

By virtue of their Urban Studies Program courses, students should value:

Diverse perspectives in the analysis and assessment of urban issues and policies
Thoughtful analysis of the implications of urbanization and urban policy in the context of social justice and sound environmental practices
Rigorous, scientific research that enlightens the experience of urban populations and contributes to the resolution of the social and environmental problems associated with urbanization
Community-based participation in the development of programs and policies that contribute to the social, economic, political, and environmental improvement of their communities and cities.

Major Requirements

Lower Division Requirements:

15 semester hours:

URBN 125 and 135;

AFAM 115 or APAM 117 or CHST 116;

SOCL 109 and 210.

A grade of C (2.0) will be required in all lower division major courses. It is recommended that students majoring in Urban Studies complete ECON 100, 105, 110, or 120 in partial fulfillment of the University Core Curriculum requirement in social science.

Upper Division Requirements:

24 semester hours in upper division courses, including:

URBN 345, 347, 455, and 456;

and 12 semester hours in one or more of the following areas:

1. Law and Justice:

POLS 336	The Judiciary
POLS 471	U.S. Constitutional Law: Case Method I
POLS 472	U.S. Constitutional Law: Case Method II
SOCL 322	Deviant Behavior
SOCL 356	Sociology of Law
SOCL 422	Criminal Justice
SOCL 423	Criminal Law
SOCL 424	Crime and Delinquency

2. Urban Politics, Public Administration, and Policy Analysis:

CHST 337	Racial and Ethnic Politics
CHST 437	Chicana/o Politics
ECON 356	Urban Economics
POLS 340	Public Administration
POLS 341	Race, Class, Culture, and Public Policy
POLS 345	Urban Politics
POLS 436	Politics of Los Angeles
POLS 440	Public Policy Analysis
SOCL 354	Social Organization

3. Urban Culture:

HIST 367	History of Los Angeles
SOCL 340	Urban Sociology
SOCL 341	Community
SOCL 348	Urban Anthropology
SOCL 349	Research in Urban Society
URBN 365	Metropolitan Los Angeles

4. Urban-Ethnic Communities:

APAM 427	Asian American Psychology
CHST 308	Contemporary Urban Chicana/o and Other Latina/o Issues
ECON 374	Economic Development of Minority Communities
SOCL 334	Race and Ethnic Relations
SOCL 335	Sociology of the Black Community

5. Urban Planning:

ECON 330	Regression Analysis
ECON 334	Business Forecasting
ECON 532	Econometrics
SOCL 342	Demography and Population Analysis
SOCL 371	Social Ecology

An average grade of C (2.0) must be obtained in the upper division courses included in the major.

Minor Requirements

18 semester hours, including URBN 125, 135, 345, 347, 455, and 3 semester hours in upper division courses selected from one or more of the areas of specialization.