Spring 2003. Wednesdays, 1:00-3:30.
Professor: Kevin F. Gotham
Sociology: 220 Newcomb Hall
Phone: 862-3004
Office Hours: 2:30 - 5:00, Friday, all other times by appointment.
Course Description.
In this course, we will examine how urban planning efforts and government
polices and programs have affected U.S. cities and metropolitan areas over
the last hundred years or so. We will explore traditional, mainstream, and
radical planning theories and policy critique. You will be introduced to
how social science research methods play a critical role in identifying the
causes and consequences of urban problems as well as evaluating urban policy.
By learning to think sociologically, you will be able to criticize faulty
explanations of urban and metropolitan problems and critically evaluate suggested
planning and policy solutions. Some of the questions we will address are:
What is the purpose of urban planning and policy? How do governmental programs
and policy making affect cities and metropolitan areas? Who controls the
formulation and implementation of urban planning and policy? What kinds of
conflicts and struggles have historically affected public policy at the urban,
regional, and national levels? How is urban policy and planning embedded
within larger socioeconomic processes, power structures, and global forces?
What is the relationship between theory, research, and planning/policy?
Finally, we will discuss the merits of metropolitan planning and consider
alternative forms of urban design and policy in an effort to understand why
urban programs fail, what ideologies govern metropolitan growth and uneven
development, and how we can improve metropolitan life.
Required Prerequisite: Nine credits of sociology or approval
of instructor.
Recommended Prerequisites: Soc. 206 (Urban Sociology),
Soc. 303 (Introduction to Research Design).
Required Reading:
Andranovich, Gregory D., and Gerry Riposa. 1993. Doing Urban Research.
Volume 33 of Applied Social Research Methods Series. Sage Publications.
Dreier, Peter, John Mollenkopf, and Todd Swanstrom. 2001. Place Matters:
Metropolitics for the Twenty-First Century. University of Kansas Press.
Gotham, Kevin Fox. 2002. Race, Real Estate, and Uneven Development:
The Kansas City Experience. SUNY Press.
Hannigan, John. 1998. Fantasy City: Pleasure and Profit in the Postmodern
Metropolis. New York: Routledge.
Fainstein, Susan, and Scott Campbell (editors). 2002. Readings in
Urban Theory. Second Edition. Blackwell Publishers.
Orfield, Gary, and Susan E. Eaton (editors). 1996. Dismantling Desegregation:
The Quiet Reversal of Brown v. Board of Education. New Press.
Sociology Writing Group. 1998. A Guide to Writing
Sociology Papers. Saint Martins Press. Paperback.
Course Requirements
The course will follow a seminar format that combines lecture material
and group discussion. As I see them, seminars are primarily for intense
analysis and discussion. I see my role as coordinating and facilitating
this process but I take as given the active and enthusiastic participation
of all members of the group. It is essential that each student complete
the readings before each class session and come prepared to discuss
the material. All students are required to attend every class period unless
they are ill or prevented from attending by exceptional circumstances. Preparedness,
attendance and participation are expected and will have a bearing on final
grades. Requirements for this course include an individual research project,
an in-class presentation of the research project, a series of critical essays,
and class attendance and participation.
1. Research Project (40 percent of final grade).
You will design and carry out a research project of your own choosing
that has to do with the historical development of metropolitan New Orleans.
Your research and data collection will be concerned principally with verifiable
trace evidence found in local archives. You will be introduced to archival
sources and learn first-hand how to work with rare books, documents, and other
rare material. Learning archival strategies and techniques is a time consuming
process that will take many hours of hard work. For those who are highly
motivated and ambitious, archival work will be an enjoyable experience because
you will discover new worlds, confront challenging puzzles, and experience
new revelations.
The final research paper must be at least 20 pages excluding the cover
page, references, and tables and figures. Papers are to be typed and double-spaced
with one inch margins and page numbers in the top right hand corner. Address
your final paper to an audience composed of people who know nothing of the
material you read, the concepts you use, and the archival data you have collected.
A 2-3 page, double-spaced proposal is due Wednesday, January 29. See chapter
1 (pp.1-25), "Getting Started," in Guide to Writing Sociology Papers
for direction on how to write a proposal.
You may design and conceptualize the research project in one of four ways.
1. Policy-Centered Focus.
Research the history of one major federal government program or policy and
discuss its effects on New Orleans. General areas to look are anti-crime
policy, housing policy, environmental policy, land-use regulation, transportation
policy, urban redevelopment programs, tourism and place marketing, anti-poverty
policy, education policy, energy policy, military and defense spending, health
care, and so on. Some specific federal programs might include public housing,
urban renewal, the home mortgage programs of the Federal Housing Administration
(FHA) and Veterans Administration (VA), Community Development Block Grant
Program (CDBG), Urban Development Action Grants (UDAG), the interstate highway
program, and so on. You must show that you are aware of New Orleans' demographic
and population characteristics, economic base, infrastructure and government
system, and social problems. You must identify the origins of the program,
the motivation underlying its creation, changes in the implementation of
the program over time. Most important, you must explain how the program has
affected New Orleans over time. Discuss the current status of the program
and its future prospects. Explain how cities and policy makers can benefit
from your research.
2. Problem-Centered Focus.
Trace the history of New Orleans' efforts to combat one major social problem
in the city and metropolitan area. Your research should be problem-centered,
identifying when New Orleans began attacking the problem, why it was identified
as a problem, and how city leaders developed and implemented certain policies
to remedy the problem. Some urban problems to focus on might include racial
discrimination and residential segregation, jobs and immigration, crime control
and drugs, poverty and homelessness, housing affordability, school segregation
and financing, neighborhood revitalization and historic preservation, economic
development and NIMBYs, disinvestment and redlining, and so on. You could
study the links between urban problems in the following areas: urban design
and planning, housing and real estate, transportation, urban politics, suburban
sprawl and uneven development, etc. Discuss the obstacles New Orleans faces
in addressing and remedying these problems. Explain how the city and policy
makers could benefit from your research.
3. Neighborhood-Centered Focus. Examine the
historical development of a New Orleans neighborhood from the end of the
nineteenth century through the present. The City Planning Commission has
designated 72 neighborhoods in New Orleans to understand and plan for the
City. See me for a listing of these neighborhoods. You may not focus
on the Audubon/University neighborhood (10A). The neighborhood you study
will serve as a case study of the common social processes that are occurring
in neighborhoods and cities around the United States. Through readings and
archival data collection, you should identify changes in land-use patterns
(e.g., industrial, commercial, and residential land-uses), ethnic/racial composition,
median family income, quality of housing, and other demographic and economic
trends you think are important for understanding the neighborhood. Identify
and discuss the major problems, social conflicts, and global and national
level processes affecting the neighborhood. Speculate on the future of the
neighborhood in the context of major population, demographic, and economic
trends affecting the city and metropolitan area. Explain how the neighborhood
and city neighborhoods in general could benefit from your research.
4. Comparative Focus. Pick two cities and discuss
the how they have changed over time. You can focus on New Orleans and one
other city or two cities of your own choice. You are required to gather primary
data in at least one archive in Louisiana. You are to assess the impact of
at least two major government programs/policies on the history and development
of the two cities over the last 50 years. You should focus broadly, examining
the connectedness and interlocking nature of the policies and their affect
on the cities. You should focus on the changing nature of land-use patterns,
zoning ordinances, subdivision regulations, and Master Plans. Your research
must be comparative and identify the similarities and differences between
the cities. Comparative work means that you can show that you are aware of
each city's demographic and population characteristics, economic base, infrastructure
and government system, and social problems. Discuss the current status
of the cities and their future prospects. Explain how cities and policy makers
can benefit from your research.
Do not delay in your choice of topic and starting your research. Your
primary task is to collect evidence and data for your research in one of
the many formal archives in New Orleans and Louisiana. Archives are storehouses
of rare, often unique materials that were created over time by individuals,
organizations, and social movements. Such materials include letters, diaries,
confidential memos, lecture notes, transcripts, rough drafts, unpublished
manuscripts, and other personal and organizational records. The range of
materials in archives is vast. Such materials are traces of human activities
and they provide data useful for urban sociohistorical research.
In addition to archival data, other data collection for the research project
must can be obtained from assigned course readings and the following library
and documentary resources: scholarly journals, newspapers, magazines, congressional
testimony, planning department documents, government reports and analyses,
census bureau data, books, and other written documents. You should search
for data at all available libraries, archives, internet web sites, and anywhere
else you can find material. I recommend that you read Part One (pp. 1-62),
chapter 7 (pp. 96-114), and Part Three (pp. 186-87) in A Guide to Writing
Sociology Papers for directions on choosing a research topic, using
library resources, locating references and material, organizing information,
and writing the research paper. In addition to references in the required
reading for the class, you should also explore articles in the following
journals and annuals for your research project:
City and Community
Cityscape: A Journal of Policy Development and Research (available at: http://www.huduser.org/periodicals/cityscape.html).
Housing Policy Debate (available at: www.fanniemaefoundation.org/programs/hpd.shtml)
Comparative Urban Research
International Journal of Urban and Regional Research
Journal of Urban Affairs
Journal of Urban Economics
Journal of Urban History
Regional Studies
Research in Urban Sociology (annual)
Research in Community Sociology (annual)
Research in Urban Policy (annual)
Sage Urban Studies Abstracts
Urban Affairs Annual Review
Urban Affairs Quarterly/Review
Urban Anthropology
Urban Land
Urban Life (Journal of Contemporary Ethnography)
Urban Review
Urban Studies
Urbanism Past and Present
In addition, sociology journals (e.g., American Sociological Review,
American Journal of Sociology, Social Forces, Social Problems, Sociological
Quarterly, Sociological Perspectives, Sociological Spectrum, Sociological
Focus, Sociological Forum, Annual Review of Sociology) frequently have
important articles on urban issues. See pp. 63-72 in A Guide to Writing
Sociology Papers for searching online information. In addition to references
in the required reading for the class, you should also explore the Howard
Tilton Library's vast resources for locating articles in sociology journals
for your research project. Some of these library resources include, among
others, JSTOR, Sociological Abstracts, Social Science Citation Index, and
Webspirs.
You may not use interviews, surveys and questionnaires, focus groups,
participant observation, or any other forms of original data collection that
involve human subjects. You may cite and refer to other researchers' studies
on human subjects (as secondary sources). You must use the guidelines in
chapter 4 of A Guide to Writing Sociology Papers for acknowledging
sources, and listing bibliographic references and citations. Be sure to
make appropriate reference citations to other authors' work when quoting
directly from them and when paraphrasing them, otherwise you run the risk
of being charged with plagiarism.
All students are required to abide by the Tulane University Honor Code.
This means that "the presence of a student's name on any work submitted
in completion of an academic assignment is considered to be an assurance
that the work and ideas are the result of the student's own intellectual
effort, stated in her or his own words, and produced independently, unless
clear and explicit acknowledgment of the sources for the work and ideas is
included. This principle applies to papers, tests, homework assignments,
artistic productions, laboratory reports, computer programs, and other assignments"
(Tulane Undergraduate Catalog 1999-2001, p. 15).
Final research projects will be graded on a scale of A, A-, B+, B, B-,
C+, C, C-, D+, D, and D-. One letter grade will be deducted for each day
the research project is late. I will not accept any faxed papers or emailed
papers. You are required to hand in two copies of your research paper.
Sample Outline for Research
Paper. Your final paper should be divided up into the
following six sections:
Introduction
Indicate clearly and briefly what the purpose of the research is. Briefly
identify the major issues or problems the paper addresses and the major sources
of data used in the paper. Very briefly and succinctly state the core findings
of the paper and how the paper will be organized. Do not report on every
little detail and finding; be short, clear, and to the point. This introduction
section should be no more than three pages.
Literature Review
Briefly summarize the current sociological research on the urban
policy or program you are studying. You should include other scholars' empirical
findings, concepts, and theories that link your study with existing scholarly
research on the same topic. Search for the current state of sociological
research on your topic in the journals listed above.
Sociological Analysis
Provide a general overview of your theoretical argument and then discuss
the major findings of your research and data collection. You should show
how your findings support your theory and relate to findings of other researchers.
Refer to scholarly journals for examples on how to write your findings
and implications. This section can be sub-divided into separate units.
Conclusion
Discuss the implications of your research. How is your research and its
findings relevant and important to urban sociology? You should offer suggestions
for future research.
References
You must have at least 20 citations in your reference section. Cites
from textbooks, encyclopedia, or other non-scholarly sources do not count.
You may include only three internet sources.
Methodological Appendix
Provide a description of how the research was done. You should identify
the types and sources of data collected. You should draw upon written histories,
archives, census materials, newspaper files, planning department documents,
and any other sources you can locate. You should include data in tables,
graphs, and/or figures if you have large amounts of quantitative data. Put
each table, graph, or figure on a separate page with a descriptive title
over it. In the text of the research paper, refer to the table or figure
by number and then explain it. Consult Doing Urban Research by
Andranovich and Riposa and A Guide to Writing Sociology Papers by
the Sociology Writing Group for assistance in writing a methodological appendix.
2. Oral Presentation of Research Project (20 percent of final grade).
All students are required to present their research during a scheduled class period. Those who do not present their research during class time will receive a failing letter grade (F) for the course. The length of the presentation should be no more than 15 minutes. Students should prepare and rehearse their presentation to do it smoothly and not exceed the time limit. Make your presentation using an outline or note cards; do not prewrite your whole presentation and then read it. The purpose of the oral presentation is to show that you understand key concepts, definitions, main findings, and can effectively communicate your research to a group of peers. Here are suggestions for oral presentation of the research paper:
Introduction
(a) Indicate what your research topic is and why you chose it (why you felt it was interesting and important).
(b) State your main finding(s).
Method
(a) Describe how you did your research (if you relied on books and library references, indicate the most useful ones; if you consulted planning documents and government reports, indicate which ones; etc.). Most important, identify which archives and archival holdings (primary materials) you accessed.
(b) If you had preconceived expectations, opinions, or hypotheses about what you would find out, state what they were.
(c) Describe special problems or difficulties that hindered or limited your research.
Findings
(a) Describe the most important thing(s) you found out or learned about your topic.
(b) Consider the use of charts, tables, illustrations, etc. to make your presentation findings more effective.
Discussion
(a) In what ways were you surprised by your findings, or did they confirm what you expected?
(b) Make connections between your research findings and the concepts, theories, and findings we have discussed in class.
(c) Identify any unanswered questions from your research that could be researched in the future.
For an effective presentation, you should prepare a one-page handout to
be distributed to the class the day before your presentation. It may contain
an outline of your whole presentation or you can use it to communicate key
concepts, findings, illustrations, and bibliographic references. Remember
that you only have 15 minutes to present your work. Do not ramble; be as
succinct as possible.
3. Critical Essays (30 percent of final grade).
Critical Essays are short papers (about 2-4 pages) that convey your thoughts about and reactions to a particular reading assignment. You are required to write eight critical essays on the assigned reading during the semester. Each critical essay must be posted to the class discussion board (listserv) at least 24 hours before class (1:30 on Tuesday). The name of the listserv is urbanpolicy-l. The critical essays will be graded on a scale of A, B, C, and D. One letter grade will be deducted for each day the essay is late. Each student should read each essay and come to class ready to discuss. Critical Essays should accomplish the following two goals:
1. Reflect your thoughtful engagement with and consideration of the reading assignment.
2. Include questions or issues that you would like to have the class discuss.
Here are questions to guide your thinking about the reading and completing the critical essays:
What are the central arguments in the reading?
What evidence does the author use to support the argument?
What other lines of reasoning or thinking occur to you as a result of reading this selection? What is it about the chapter that interests you?
What are the strengths and weaknesses of this book chapter? If you were
studying this issue, what would you have done similarly or differently?
See pp. 73-77 in A Guide to Writing Sociology Papers for directions on writing a critical essay.
As you write your critical essay, you should select one or two concepts/issues/themes/problems/
questions to orient your essay. It is tempting to try to deal with all the
points raised in the readings, but this will generally lead to a paper that
sets too broad of an agenda. Remember this assignment calls for only 2-4
pages. The essay (not an outline) should reflect your thoughtful engagement
with the issues you chose. It may take the form of an analysis of what is
at stake in the debates or it may entail comments/critiques of specific arguments
in the readings.
All participants in the course have a responsibility to do the readings
for the week, to listen to what is being said by other participants (rather
than being overly preoccupied with what you are going to say), and not to
interrupt people in the middle of sentences. We hope to create a setting
in which everyone feels comfortable talking, even if they do not have something
"brilliant or profound" to say. Sometimes the most simple questions can
lead to the most fruitful discussions.
4. Class Attendance and Participation (10 percent of final grade).
Ten percent of your grade will be based on my evaluation of your participation
in class. Class participation includes sharing thoughts and ideas, observations,
assessments, and questions during class time. Thoughtful participation means
regularly attending class and being prepared to discuss the assigned subject
matter. To encourage class participation and the sharing of ideas, you should
identify one or two questions from the assigned readings that you would like
to discuss in class. You should always ask yourself how the assigned reading
for the day can help you with your own research project.
Course Grades:
Individual Research Project 40% of final grade.
Oral Presentation 20% of final grade.
Critical Essays 30% of final grade.
Class Attendance and Participation 10% of final grade.
I do not give extra credit, extra assignments, nor other opportunities
for improving grades. Moreover, I do not negotiate about grades, except
when you believe there is an explicit error in the grading procedures. No
grades will be determined by a curve. Also, I do not like the informal and
impersonal nature of email. You may not ask me questions about the course
over email (or by phone). If you have questions, please make an appointment
and come talk with me.
Week 1: Introduction: Policy, Planning, and Theories of Urban Development. January 8 (W).
Required Reading:
Recommended Reading:
Week 2: Contemporary and Historical Perspectives on Urban Policy and Planning.
January 15.
Required Reading: Scott Campbell and Susan Fainstein (eds.). Readings in Planning Theory.
Recommended Reading:
Week 3: Introduction to Urban Research.
January 22.
Required Reading:
Week 4-5: School Segregation and Desegregation. January 29 - February 5.
January 29.
Required Reading: Gary Orfield and Susan Eaton (eds.). Dismantling Desegregation: The Quiet Reversal of Brown v. Board of Education.
Recommended Reading: Chapter 1 (pp.1-25): "Getting Started,"
in Guide to Writing Sociology Papers for direction on how to write
a proposal.
Research Proposals due.
February 5.
Required Reading: Gary Orfield and Susan Eaton (eds.). Dismantling Desegregation: The Quiet Reversal of Brown v. Board of Education.
Recommended Reading:
Video: Episode 4 ("The Bottom Line, 1980-present") from "School: History of Public Education in the United States (1 hour).
Critical Essay #1 due.
Week 6: Class, Race, and Urban Poverty.
February 12.
Required Reading: Susan Fainstein and Scott Campbell (eds.). Readings in Urban Theory.
Recommended Reading:
Critical Essay #2 due.
Week 7-8: Globalization, Deindustrializaton, and the Changing Urban and Metropolitan System.
February 19.
Required Reading: Susan Fainstein and Scott Campbell (eds.). Readings in Urban Theory.
Recommended Reading: Susan Fainstein and Scott Campbell (eds.). Readings in Urban Theory.
Critical Essay #3 due.
February 26.
Required Reading: Susan Fainstein and Scott Campbell (eds.). Readings in Urban Theory.
Scott Campbell and Susan Fainstein (eds.). Readings in Planning Theory.
Video: "Roger and Me" (90 minutes).
Critical Essay #4 due.
MARDI GRAS. MARCH 3 - 7. NO CLASS.
Week 9: Urban Redevelopment.
March 12.
Required Reading: Susan Fainstein and Scott Campbell (eds.). Readings in Urban Theory.
Recommended Reading: Scott Campbell and Susan Fainstein (eds.). Readings in Planning Theory.
Video: "Store Wars" (58 minutes).
Critical Essay #5 due.
Week 10: Urban and Metropolitan Tourism.
March 19.
Required Reading:
Recommended Reading:
Critical Essay #6 due.
Week 11-12. Metropolitan Areas in Retrospect and Prospect.
March 26.
Required Reading:
Recommended Reading:
Guest lecture and presentation by Prof. Nicholas Bloom.
Critical Essay #7 due.
April 2.
Required Reading:
Recommended Reading:
Critical Essay #8 due.
Week 13. Research Presentations. April
9.
Week 14. No class. April 16.
Week 15. Research Presentations. April 23.