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Cities are back in town : urban sociology for a globalizing urban world
  • Level Foundation
  • Duration 12 hours
  • Course by Sciences Po
  • Offered by

About

Urbanization is reaching a new peak in the contemporary world with the rise of mega cities. Researchers try to make sense of these large urban areas using a variety of concepts. The class will review debates and present social science models of cities to analyse and compare contemporary developments. General Overview Help Center Urbanization is reaching a new peak in the contemporary world with the rise of mega cities. Researchers try to make sense of these large urban areas using a variety of concepts. The class will review debates and present social science models of cities to analyse and compare contemporary developments. Globalization, Europeanization processes support the rapid developments of cities in different part of the world. Urbanization is reaching a new high in the contemporary world with the rise of mega cities (beyond 15 million inhabitants) such as Calcutta, Los Angeles, Dhaka, Cairo, Tokyo, New York, Shanghai, Mexico or Seoul. Beyond the modern metropolis, researchers try to make sense of these large urban areas using a variety of concepts such as the ‘postmetropolis’, ‘global cities’, and ‘global city-regions’. The class will review debates and present social science models of cities and metropolis to analyse and compare contemporary developments. How can do we study those cities when they become mega urban regions, does size matter and for what? Do we see the making of a vast urban world or by contrast beyond the apparent convergence of complex globalisation processes understood in relation to globalised capitalism, is it possible to identify masked differentiations and the strengthening of different urban worlds? How do we make sense of this urban world when cities are not independent units but have to be understood both in terms of territories, rootedness, and at the same time in terms of relations to take into account flux, mobility, circulations ? What is the relevance of social science concepts developed in the Western world to analyse the transformation of Lagos? To what extent may the systematic development of new forms of comparison between northern cities and cities from the South change social sciences and contribute to overcome the bias towards national comparison? For the time being, given current conditions of capitalism, political, economic, cultural and social questions are increasingly becoming urban questions. In the modern conception of the world/globalcity, characterised by size, the aggregation of housing, differentiated divisions of labour, and the density of interaction, several conceptions of cities exist which have become entangled and sometimes opposed to each other. These different conceptions underline different processes of integration: the material city of walls, squares, houses, roads, light, utilities, buildings, waste, and physical infrastructure; the cultural city in terms of imaginations, differences, representations, ideas, symbols, arts, texts, senses, religion, and aesthetics; the politics and policies of the city in terms of domination, power, government, mobilisation, public policies, welfare, education; the social city of riots, ethnic, economic and gender inequalities, everyday life and social movements; and the economy of the city : the division of labour, scale, production, consumption, trade..... Classic urban questions about inequalities, housing, government, integration, are combined with issues about the urban fabric, questions of mobility and rootedness, sustainable development and risks, the making of the cyborg cities, questions of social control and riots, urban culture, innovation and urban economic development. All video produced by Sciences Po for this Mooc are under Creative Commons (BY / NC / SA) Recommended Background The course is designed for undergraduates but it also will interest graduates and professionals concerned in urban issues. The course is organized in 8 sequences and displays multimedia contents (images, video, original documents). There will be also assignments that consist in participating to discussions related to theoretical models presented in the course based on case studies of your choice, and peer assessments on your contributions. Syllabus : Week #1 : Introduction, definition, urban questions and the use of models Week #2 : European cities and the weberian model of integration Week #3 : Colonial and post colonial cities Week #4 : Industrial cities (and Socialist cities) and Marxist models Week #5 : The American metropolis and the Chicago School, Week #6 : Post metropolis, fragments and differences Week #7 : Global cities and mega cities Week #8 : Smart cities and the sociology of science and technology

Modules

Welcome to the new urban world

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • Welcome to the new urban world

Ancient cities

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1 Videos

  • Ancient cities

Words to qualify cities and the urban world

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • Words to qualify cities and the urban world

A world of cities or a generalised urban world ?

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • A world of cities or a generalised urban world ?

Urbanisation processes

    • 1 Readings
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1 Readings

  • Urbanisation processes

Definitions

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • Definitions

Models and urban sociology

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1 Videos

  • Models and urban sociology

References

    • 1 Readings
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1 Readings

  • References

Introduction to European city

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • Introduction to European city

Historical emergence of european cities

    • 1 Readings
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1 Readings

  • Historical emergence of european cities

The urban bourgeoisie

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1 Readings

  • The urban bourgeoisie

The Venice Case study

    • 1 Readings
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1 Readings

  • The Venice Case study

Municipal revolution and the fragile political autonomy

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • Municipal revolution and the fragile political autonomy

1 Readings

  • Municipal revolution and the fragile political autonomy v2

The weberian model of the « Occidental city »

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • The weberian model of the « Occidental city »

Neo weberian model: european city as an economic and political actor

    • 2 Videos
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2 Videos

  • Neo weberian model part 1
  • Neo weberian model part 2

How useful is the European city model

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1 Readings

  • How useful is the European city model

The Los Angeles case study

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1 Videos

  • The Los Angeles case study

References

    • 1 Readings
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1 Readings

  • References

Imposing a universal European framework or looking for alternatives ?

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • Imposing a universal European framework or looking for alternatives ?

Colonial empires and the making of colonial cities

    • 1 Readings
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1 Readings

  • Colonial empires and the making of colonial cities

Do colonisers need cities ?

    • 1 Readings
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1 Readings

  • Do colonisers need cities ?

Inequality, segregation and the colonial political order

    • 2 Videos
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2 Videos

  • Inequality, segregation and the colonial political order part 1
  • Inequality, segregation and the colonial political order part 2

A model of colonial cities ?

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1 Readings

  • A model of colonial cities ?

Features of colonial cities

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1 Videos

  • Features of colonial cities

Legacy of colonisation, post colonial cities ?

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • Legacy of colonisation, post colonial cities ? v1

1 Readings

  • Legacy of colonisation, post colonial cities ? v2

References

    • 1 Readings
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1 Readings

  • References

Introduction : industrial urbanisation and urban change

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • Industrial urbanisation and urban change

The Industrial revolution and the emergence of the industrial cities/urban regions

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1 Readings

  • The Industrial revolution and the emergence of the industrial cities/urban regions

Two waves of industrialization

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1 Videos

  • Two waves of industrialization

The conditions of the working class: exploitation, poverty, inequalities

    • 1 Readings
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1 Readings

  • The conditions of the working class: exploitation, poverty, inequalities

The making of the industrial city as a social structure

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • The making of the industrial city as a social structure

The physical infrastructure of the industrial metropolis

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1 Readings

  • The physical infrastructure of the industrial metropolis

Industrial cities beyond Europe, Chicago takes the lead

    • 1 Readings
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1 Readings

  • Industrial cities beyond Europe, Chicago takes the lead

Methods and variables of the marxist industrial agglomeration model

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • Methods and variables of the marxist industrial agglomeration model

A marxist interpretation of the industrial city

    • 1 Readings
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1 Readings

  • A marxist interpretation of the industrial city

Industrial cities after the West and the industrial city model

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1 Readings

  • Industrial cities after the West and the industrial city model

References

    • 1 Readings
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1 Readings

  • References

Introduction : centers of experiment for modern social life

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • centers of experiment for modern social life

European capitals of the great nation states of the 19th century turn into metropolis

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • European capitals of the great nation states of the 19th century turn into metropolis

New York, the American metropolis

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  • New York, the American metropolis

Metropolis in the south

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1 Videos

  • Metropolis in the south

Buenos Aires

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1 Readings

  • Buenos Aires

Metropolis and the urban way of life

    • 1 Readings
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1 Readings

  • Metropolis and the urban way of life

The human ecology of cities and the US coming of age of urban sociology

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • The human ecology of cities and the US coming of age of urban sociology

The City by Louis Wirth

    • 1 Readings
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1 Readings

  • "The City" by Louis Wirth

The segregated metropolis, race and class, measures and cultural making of boundaries

    • 2 Readings
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2 Readings

  • The segregated metropolis, race and class, measures and cultural making of boundaries part 1
  • The segregated metropolis, race and class, measures and cultural making of boundaries part 2

Competition and the development of the metropolis

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1 Videos

  • Competition and the development of the metropolis

References

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1 Readings

  • References

Introduction : a globalising urban capitalist world

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1 Videos

  • a globalising urban capitalist world

The rise of mega cities

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1 Readings

  • The rise of mega cities

The financiarisation of the city, real estates, utilities

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1 Readings

  • The financiarisation of the city, real estates, utilities

A model of the urbanization of capital

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1 Readings

  • A model of the urbanization of capital

Scott and Storper and the new economic geography

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1 Readings

  • Scott and Storper and the new economic geography

Cities of flows and nodes of networks

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1 Readings

  • Cities of flows and nodes of networks

Globalization

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • Globalization

Global cities : Big cities with advanced economic functions ?

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • Big cities with advanced economic functions ?

Unequal City

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  • Unequal City

Conclusion Global city

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  • Conclusion Global city

References

    • 1 Readings
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1 Readings

  • References

Post metropolis and the criticism of models

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • Post metropolis and the criticism of models

Different urban worlds

    • 1 Readings
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1 Readings

  • Different urban worlds

Conflictual cities, Contested cities, rejecting modernism, capitalism and the state

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • Conflictual cities, Contested cities, rejecting modernism, capitalism and the state

Urban Riots

    • 1 Readings
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1 Readings

  • Urban Riots

Beyond modernism the cultural turn of urban studies

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • Beyond modernism the cultural turn of urban studies

Culture and entertainment are back in town, the city of visitors

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • Culture and entertainment are back in town, the city of visitors

informal settlements, networks and illegalities

    • 2 Readings
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2 Readings

  • informal settlements, networks and illegalities part 1
  • informal settlements, networks and illegalities part 2

Conclusion Post Metrpolis

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1 Readings

  • Conclusion Post Metrpolis

References

    • 1 Readings
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1 Readings

  • References

Introduction to smart city

    • 2 Videos
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2 Videos

  • Introduction to smart city – Part 1
  • Introduction to smart city – Part 2

Maps and networks

    • 2 Videos
    • 1 Readings
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2 Videos

  • Maps and networks – Part 1
  • Maps and networks – Part 2

1 Readings

  • Maps and networks – Part 3

Smart city model

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • Smart city model – Part 1

1 Readings

  • Smart city model - Part 2

Access and online activity in the city

    • 1 Readings
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1 Readings

  • Access and online activity in the city

Transforming life - transforming India

    • 1 Readings
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1 Readings

  • Transforming life - transforming India

Sustainable city

    • 1 Videos
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1 Videos

  • Sustainable city

References

    • 1 Readings
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1 Readings

  • References

Auto Summary

"Cities are Back in Town: Urban Sociology for a Globalizing Urban World" is an insightful course offered by Coursera, perfect for anyone interested in understanding the complex dynamics of urbanization in the contemporary era. With cities expanding into mega urban regions, this course focuses on the theoretical and practical aspects of urban sociology, providing a comprehensive analysis of how globalization and urbanization shape our world. Guided by experienced instructor Sciences Po, the course spans 720 minutes, broken down into 8 engaging sequences. Each sequence delves into different urban models and concepts, helping learners explore topics such as European cities, colonial and post-colonial cities, industrial cities, the American metropolis, global cities, and smart cities. Learners will engage in multimedia content, including videos, images, and original documents, and will participate in discussions and peer assessments to deepen their understanding. This foundational-level course is ideal for undergraduates, graduates, and professionals keen on urban issues. It offers flexible subscription options, including Starter and Professional plans, catering to different learning needs. Join this course to gain a robust understanding of urban sociology, explore the intricate fabric of global cities, and contribute to discussions on contemporary urban developments.

Patrick Le Galès
Instructor

Patrick Le Galès