Urban Studies

Program Offerings

Offering type
Certificate

The Program in Urban Studies is an interdepartmental plan of study for undergraduates that offers an interdisciplinary framework for the study of cities, metropolitan regions, and urban and suburban landscapes. The urban studies certificate program encourages students to think about metropolitan centers in all their complexity as physical spaces; social, cultural, political and economic nexuses; and historical artifacts. The program is administered by the School of Architecture, in conjunction with courses and faculty across campus, including the High Meadows Environmental Institute, School of Engineering and the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs. Required and elective courses are offered by diverse departments including, but not limited to, anthropology, architecture, art and archaeology, history, African American studies, English, Latin American studies, Spanish and Portuguese, civil and environmental engineering, energy studies, sociology, politics, public policy and theater studies. 

 Students with appropriate background and training are encouraged to study and conceptualize cities via a comparative, international perspective, using the resources of Princeton's area studies and international programs. In addition, students seeking opportunities to acquire field experience in urban settings may consult with the Program for Community Engaged Scholarship and other University programs.

Goals for Student Learning

Urban studies is the study of cities across disciplines. The key learning goals for a certificate in urban studies are:

  • To introduce architectural and urban design issues to build critical thinking, design and policy skills from a multidisciplinary perspective.
  • To examine the key concepts of urban life, with its concentrated extremes, and how cities throughout history have brokered revolution, transformation and renewal, focusing on class, race, gender, immigration, capitalism and the built environment.
  • To consider cities as urban spaces, as objects of representation, and as part of cultural identities using an interdisciplinary approach through literature, history, sociology, art history, architecture, etc.
  • To offer research methodological opportunities in classwork and through independent work to advance critical thought and the understanding of contemporary urban conditions.
  • To develop students’ capacity for analysis in multiple settings, including academia, public and private sectors, social organizations and local communities.

Admission to the Program

The Program in Urban Studies is open to all undergraduate students, regardless of discipline. Students apply for admission by filling out the application on the urban studies website and arranging an interview with the director of the program. Students are accepted into the program on the basis of interest and a coherent academic plan. Students are asked to propose a tentative course of study in their application.

Program of Study

The requirements for the certificate include two core courses and three electives, as well as engagement with urban studies in the student’s senior thesis research. Once admitted to the program, students may view their degree progress on TigerHub.

Students studying away from Princeton on official programs may have courses applied to the certificate, with the urban studies program director's approval. Students are asked to submit requests before travel if possible, and to follow the guidelines of the Office of International Programs. 

Required Courses

Students must take URB 201 Introduction to Urban Studies, or with approval of the director, an urban-focused elective such as URB 388/HIS 388/AMS 380/AAS 388 Unrest and Renewal in Urban America. 

Students must also take a design studio course, either  ARC 205 or ARC 204. Students planning to major in architecture or CEE are directed to ARC 204. Note that studio courses are limited in size; students are encouraged to fulfill the studio course requirement as soon as their schedule permits. 

The core courses are designed to be accessible to all majors. To satisfy the core course requirements, students must pass both required courses with a grade of B or above. 

Elective Courses

In addition to the two core courses, students must complete three electives: one from social sciences; one from the humanities; and one from engineering or the natural sciences. A list of approved electives is posted on the website. Elective courses may vary from year to year and students should consult the registrar listing for "URB" designated courses. Courses not on the approved list may be used as electives with the approval of the program director. However, each selected course must contain substantial urban content to fulfill the requirements of the certificate program.

As soon as possible after applying for admission to the urban studies undergraduate certificate program, students meet with the program director or urban studies faculty adviser to establish an approved course of study. 

These courses must be completed in addition to coursework taken to fulfill the requirements of the student's major, although urban studies elective courses may be used to fulfill distribution requirements. Students are permitted to double-count one of the three certificate electives toward their major. Students are encouraged to meet with advisers before registration to confirm major and certificate requirements are met.

All courses must be completed for a grade of B or better to be counted toward the certificate. Course overlap with another certificate/minor is permitted but dependent upon both program guidelines.

While urban studies students' senior theses or projects are directed in their home departments, their work must contain an urban component, approved by the program director. A faculty member from the student's home department serves as the primary adviser and first reader. An urban studies adviser may be selected from the program's associated faculty list to provide additional consultation and layer of expertise as students write and think about potentially urban-related careers. The thesis title and abstract must be sent to the program director for final approval.

Certificate of Proficiency

Students who fulfill the requirements of the program receive a certificate of proficiency in urban studies upon graduation.

Faculty

  • Director

    • Mario I. Gandelsonas
  • Executive Committee

    • Sigrid M. Adriaenssens, Civil and Environmental Eng
    • João Biehl, Anthropology
    • M. Christine Boyer, Architecture
    • Michael A. Celia, Civil and Environmental Eng
    • Mario I. Gandelsonas, Architecture
    • Maria E. Garlock, Civil and Environmental Eng
    • Alison E. Isenberg, History
    • Gyan Prakash, History
  • Associated Faculty

    • Roland J. Benabou, Schl of Public & Int'l Affairs
    • Elie R. Bou-Zeid, Civil and Environmental Eng
    • Leah P. Boustan, Economics
    • Marshall B. Brown, Architecture
    • Vera S. Candiani, History
    • Miguel A. Centeno, Sociology
    • Janet Y. Chen, History
    • Jill S. Dolan, Office of the Dean of College
    • Patricia Fernández-Kelly, Sociology
    • Simon E. Gikandi, English
    • William A. Gleason, English
    • Joshua B. Guild, History
    • Judith Hamera, Lewis Center for the Arts
    • Peter R. Jaffé, Civil and Environmental Eng
    • Harold James, History
    • Jennifer L. Jennings, Schl of Public & Int'l Affairs
    • Kevin M. Kruse, History
    • Germán Labrador Méndez, Spanish & Portuguese
    • Eduardo Morales, Schl of Public & Int'l Affairs
    • Jan-Werner Müller, Politics
    • Guy J.P. Nordenson, Architecture
    • Alejandro Portes, Sociology
    • Stephen J. Redding, Schl of Public & Int'l Affairs
    • Patrick T. Sharkey, Schl of Public & Int'l Affairs
    • James Smith, Civil and Environmental Eng
    • Janet A. Vertesi, Sociology
  • Sits with Committee

    • Aaron P. Shkuda

For a full list of faculty members and fellows please visit the department or program website.

Courses

URB 201 - Introduction to Urban Studies (also ARC 207/SOC 203/SPI 201) Spring SA

This course will examine different crises confronting cities in the 21st century. Topics will range from immigration, to terrorism, shrinking population, traffic congestion, pollution, energy crisis, housing needs, water wars, race riots, extreme weather conditions, war and urban operations. The range of cities will include Los Angles, New Orleans, Paris, Logos, Caracas, Havana, New York, Hong Kong, and Baghdad among others. M. Boyer

AAS 268 - Introduction to African American History Since Emancipation (also HIS 268/URB 268) Fall CD or HA

This course offers an introduction to the major themes, critical questions, and pivotal moments in post emancipation African American history. Traces the social, political, cultural, intellectual, and legal contours of the black experience in the United States from Reconstruction to the rise of Jim Crow, through the World Wars, Depression, and the Great Migrations, to the long civil rights era and the contemporary period of racial politics. Using a wide variety of texts, images, and creative works, the course situates African American history within broader national and international contexts. AAS Subfield: AACL J. Guild

ARC 401 - Theories of Housing and Urbanism (also URB 401) Fall SA

Housing ideas and urban projects of architects and social scientists since the mid-19th century as a response to industrialization, the development of the welfare state, the rise of professionalism, and the dispersion of democratic culture. Material drawn from architecture, urban planning, political theory, sociology, and social psychology. One three-hour seminar. A. Laing

ARC 492 - Topics in the Formal Analysis of the Urban Structure (also ENV 492/URB 492) Spring

The Western city, American and European, has undergone a number of mutations since the Renaissance. This course will explore the complex relationships between different cities and architecture, between "real" cities and "fictional" architectural cities. Possible topics might include: urbanization as it affects contemporary life; the American vs. European city; the state of New Jersey, the exurban state "par excellence." One three-hour seminar. M. Gandelsonas

CEE 262A - Structures and the Urban Environment (also ARC 262A/EGR 262A/URB 262A) Not offered this year LA

Known as "Bridges", this course focuses on structural engineering as a new art form begun during the Industrial Revolution and flourishing today in long-span bridges, thin shell concrete vaults and tall buildings. Through critical analysis of major works, students are introduced to the methods of evaluating engineered structures as an art form. Students study the works and ideas of individual engineers through their basic calculations, their builder's mentality and their aesthetic imagination. Illustrations are taken from various cities and countries, demonstrating the influence of culture on our built environment. Two lectures, one precept. M. Garlock

CEE 262B - Structures and the Urban Environment (also ARC 262B/EGR 262B/URB 262B) Spring SEL

Known as "Bridges", this course focuses on structural engineering as a new art form begun during the Industrial Revolution and flourishing today in long-span bridges, thin shell concrete vaults, and tall buildings. Through laboratory experiments students study the scientific basis for structural performance and thereby connect external forms to the internal forces in the major works of structural engineers. Illustrations are taken from various cities and countries thus demonstrating the influence of culture on our built environment. Two lectures, one three-hour laboratory. M. Garlock

CEE 471 - Introduction to Water Pollution Technology (also GEO 471/URB 471) Fall SEN

An introduction to the science of water quality management and pollution control in natural systems; fundamentals of biological and chemical transformations in natural waters; identification of sources of pollution; water and wastewater treatment methods; fundamentals of water quality modeling. Two lectures, field trips. Open to juniors and seniors, and graduate students only. Prerequisites: Student should have some background in chemistry and an interest in water pollution problems. P. Jaffé

FRE 217 - Revisiting Paris (also COM 258/ECS 327/URB 258) Fall HA

The City of Light beckons. Beyond the myth, however, this course proposes to look at the real sides and "lives" of Paris. Focusing on the modern and contemporary period, we will study Paris as an urban space, an object of representation, and part of French cultural identity. To do so, we will use an interdisciplinary approach, through literature, history, sociology, art history, architecture, etc. To deepen our understanding, we will actually travel to Paris. Not only will students (re)visit the city, but also meet guest speakers and conduct personal projects they will have designed in Princeton. Prereq: FRE 207 A. Benhaïm

HIS 315 - Colonial and Postcolonial Africa (also AAS 315/AFS 316/URB 315) Fall HA

The impact of European colonial rule on the traditional societies of Africa in the 19th and 20th centuries. One of the dominant themes will be the emergence of the intelligentsia in colonial areas as proponents of nationalism. Two lectures, one preceptorial. J. Dlamini

HIS 322 - 20th-Century Japan (also EAS 324/URB 324) Fall HA

An analysis of change and continuity in modern Japanese society, with emphasis on industrialization, social discontent, parliamentary democracy, war, defeat, the "economic miracle," and Japanese preoccupation with national identity in a Western-dominated world. Divided between the prewar and postwar periods. Two lectures, one preceptorial. S. Garon

HIS 388 - Unrest and Renewal in Urban America (also AAS 388/AMS 380/URB 388) Not offered this year CD or HA

From colonial settlement to the present, this course weaves a comprehensive history of American cities. Over centuries, cities have symbolized democratic ideals of "melting pots" and innovation, as well as crises of disorder, decline, crime, and poverty. Urban life has concentrated extremes like rich and poor; racial and ethnic divides; philanthropy and greed; skyscrapers and parks; violence and hope; downtown and suburb. The course examines how cities in U.S. history have brokered revolution, transformation and renewal, focusing on class, race, gender, immigration, capitalism, and the built environment. Two lectures, one preceptorial. A. Isenberg

MUS 264 - Urban Blues and the Golden Age of Rock (also URB 264) Spring LA

Examines post-World War II blues, rock music mostly of the late sixties and early seventies, and the connections between them. Explores wider musical and extramusical connections. R. Wegman

SOC 210 - Urban Sociology: The City and Social Change in the Americas (also LAO 210/LAS 210/URB 210) Fall SA

By taking a comparative approach, this course examines the role of social, economic, and political factors in the emergence and transformation of modern cities in the United States and selected areas of Latin America. The class considers the city in its dual image: both as a center of progress and as a redoubt of social problems, especially poverty. Special attention is given to spatial processes that have resulted in the aggregation and desegregation of populations differentiated by social class and race. Two lectures, one preceptorial. P. Fernández-Kelly

SOC 227 - Race and Ethnicity (also URB 227) SA

An introduction to the sociological study of race and ethnicity which begins by encouraging students to exercise some critical distance from the core concepts of race and ethnicity. Topics will include comparative racism, immigration, the experiences of the second generation, whiteness, the culture of poverty debate, slums and ghettos, and the debate over the "underclass." Two lectures, one preceptorial. P. Fernández-Kelly

SPA 227 - Contemporary Issues in Spain (also EPS 227/URB 237) LA

This course will focus on current political, social, and cultural issues in Latin America and/or Spain, including social movements, new artistic developments, economic changes, environmental debates, globalization and culture, politics of memory, immigration and cultural conflicts, nationalist movements, etc. Each semester, the course will focus on one of two particular regions and countries, such as the Southern Cone, the Andean region, Central America, Brazil, Mexico and the borderlands, Spain, etc. This course will also strengthen the students' conversational skills through team discussion and oral presentations. G. Labrador Méndez

SPI 481 - Special Topics in Institutions and Networks (also SOC 481/URB 481) Not offered this year SA

Special Topics in Institutions and Networks will house courses related to communications, media influence and information networks, international organizations and global governance, law and legal systems, political systems and social networks. B. Bradlow