SOCI 401
Urban Sociology
Spring 2006
Bruce Rankin
Department of Sociology
Office: Social Sciences 227
Tel: 338-1517
Email: brankin@ku.edu.tr
Class Hours: MW 15:30-16:45
Office Hours: MW 14:00-15:00 or by appointment
Course Description
This course is designed to be a general introduction to the field of urban sociology. It covers
a range of topics and readings. You will get an overview of developments in urban theory and
the history of urbanization. Urban trends within the developed and developing world will be
discussed, with special attention to the impact of globalization on cities. The latter part of the
class will explore the case of Istanbul—its historical development and the social organization
of its neighborhoods.
Course Requirements
Students are required to attend class, participate in class discussions, complete in-class and
take-home writing assignments, and take two exams (a midterm and a final exam). Class
attendance is important because lectures will include material not covered in the readings.
Students should come to class having completed the assigned reading for that week and
prepared to discuss the material. Sometimes you will be required to write short answers to
questions regarding that day’s reading assignment. There will be several short written reports
based on your responses to the readings. You will get credit for class participation through
attendance and by asking or answering questions or commenting on issues that are raised
during class. Another way is to bring to class an article from the newspaper or something you
saw on TV or on the internet that relates to the topic of urban sociology. Students are expected
to be on time for class and to turn off their cell phones before they enter the classroom.
Grading
Students will be evaluated on their class participation, in-class essays and response papers,
and midterm and final exams. No make-up exams will be allowed unless an unambiguous
medical report is presented. Note that make-up exams are designed to be more difficult than
the standard exam. The final grade for the course will be calculated based on following
distribution:
10% class participation
15% in-class essays
15% response papers
30% midterm exam
30% final exam
NOTE: Please make sure that you are familiar with the University Academic Regulations
and the Regulations for Student Disciplinary Matters, particularly those related to academic
honesty. Cheating, plagiarism, and collusion are serious offences resulting in an F grade and
disciplinary action.
Course Outline and Readings
Week 1: Introduction to the City
LeGates T.R. and Stout, F. (1996) “Introduction”, pp. 15-19 in LeGates T.R. and Stout F.
(ed.) The City Reader. Routledge: London and New York.
Lewis Mumford (1937) “What is a City?”, pp. 183-188 in LeGates T.R. and Stout F. (ed.)
The City Reader. Routledge: London and New York.
Louis Wirth (1938) “Urbanism as a Way of Life”, pp. 189-197 in LeGates T.R. and Stout
F. (ed.) The City Reader. Routledge: London and New York.
Week 2: Urbanization in History
Kleniewski, Nancy. 1997. Chapter 3, “Cities in World History”, pp. 47-69; Chapter 4,
“Cities in Today’s World”, pp. 70-89, in Cities, Change, and Conflict: A Political
Economy of Urban Life.
Week 3: Urban Theory I: Urban Culture and the “Community” Problematic
Flanigan, W. 1993. “Contemporary Theories of Urbanism and Community”, pp. 13-44, in
Contemporary Urban Sociology.
Week 4: Urban Theory II: Urban Ecology and Political Economy Theories
Flanigan, W. 1995. “Ecology, Capitalism, and Regional Studies”, pp. 221-245, in Urban
Sociology.
Week 5: Urban Change I: The Case of the U.S.
Kleniewski, Nancy. 1997. Chapter 6, “Cities, Suburbs, and Metropolitan Areas”, pp. 114138 in Cities, Change, and Conflict: A Political Economy of Urban Life.
Week 6: Urban Change II: New Approaches
Savage, Mike and Alan Warde. 1993. “Cities and Uneven Capitalist Development”, pp.
311-329 in Richard LeGates and Frederic Stout (eds.) (1996) The City Reader.
Week 7: REVIEW and MIDTERM (March 29)
Week 8: Spring Break (No class)
Week 9: Politics and the City
Mollenkopf, John. 1992. “How to Study Urban Political Power”, pp. 257-267 in Richard
LeGates and Frederic Stout (eds.) (1996) The City Reader.
Logan, J. and H. Molotch. 1987. Excerpt from “Urban Fortunes: The Political Economy
of Place”, pp. 464-476, in Gary Bridge and Sophie Watson (eds.) The Blackwell City
Reader.
Week 10: Cities in the World System
Sassen, Saskia. 1994. “Place and Production in the Global Economy”, pp. 299-304 in
Richard LeGates and Frederic Stout (eds.) (1996) The City Reader.
Week 11: Third World Urbanization
Flanagan, William. 1995. “Patterns and Consequences of Urbanization in the Third
World”, pp. 133-176 in Urban Sociology: Images and Structure.
Week 12: The Social Organization of City Life
Gugler, Josef. “Social Organization in the City”, pp. 155-176 in Alan Gilbert and Josef
Gugler (eds.) Cities, Poverty, and Development: Urbanization the Third World.
Week 13: Istanbul I: A Case Study of Urban Change
Keyder, Caglar. 1999. “The Setting”, pp. 3-28 in Caglar Keyder (ed.) Istanbul: Between
the Global and the Local”.
Week 14: Istanbul II: The View from the “Neighborhoods”
Erder, Sema. 1999. “Where to You Hail From: Localism and Networks in Istanbul”, pp.
161-171 in Caglar Keyder (ed.) Istanbul: Between the Global and the Local”.
Keyder, Caglar. 1999. “A Tale of Two Neighborhoods”, pp. 173-185 in Caglar Keyder
(ed.) Istanbul: Between the Global and the Local”.
Week 15: Selected Topics
readings TBA
Finals Period (May 31-June 10): Exam date to be announced