Theory and Practice of Urbanity

This subject is not offered in 2012.

120 hours (estimated)

Admission to a master's program in the Melbourne School of Design and completion of Urban Design Theory (below), or permission of the subject coordinator.

For the purposes of considering requests for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Description, Subject Objectives, Generic Skills and Assessment Requirements of this entry.
The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison Unit website : http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

This research-led subject introduces the concept of urbanity, its history and key theoretical foundations, ideas and controversies associated with the term and its use. It focuses on the concept of urbanity in culturally diverse contexts, invites critical thinking and discussion of urban essence and its cultural specificity. the subject is conducted in two parts/formats. The first is lecture-based, connecting established definitions of urbanity with contemporary thinking about urban phenomena. It also aims to establish an atmosphere of heuristic and critical thinking within the class. The second part of the subject is a series of seminars based on an established creative and critical atmosphere within the class. The emphasis shifts from the adoption to the production of ideas.

Students are expected to define, present and discuss urbanities of their own cultures and cities, explore the potential of cross-cultural comparisons, critically address issues such as cultural specificity and differences of urbanity and the possibility/impossibility of translation of the term, and to contribute to knowledge about chengshi shenghuo, gradskost, kwan pen muang, l'urbain, l'urbanite, toshisei, urbanita.

Class contribution (10%), one-hour class test focusing on the material covered in the first part of the subject (35%), an essay of not more than 3000 words which presents students' own research on an approved topic in pre-publication format (55%).

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

Students develop an understanding of the concept of urbanity in a variety of cultural contexts, and the ability to think critically about the issues it raises. Students will also develop the following skills:

• Analytical skills.
• Critical thinking skills.
• High level oral and written communication skills.
• Understanding of cross-cultural issues.
• Ability to retrieve and analyse information from multiple sources.