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Major

Pin-up in Urban Design class

The Urban Studies major requires students to complete five types of courses totaling at least 70 units:

  • 23 units in the core

  • 9 units (minimum) of skills courses in at least 3 courses of 3 units each

  • 20 units (minimum) in an area of concentration

  • 3 units (minimum) of service learning

  • 10 units in the capstone sequence

NOTE:  If you declared before August 1, 2014, please consult the Stanford Bulletin for the year you declared.  The major (or minor) requirements for that year remain the requirements that you must meet for graduation.  If you have any questions, please consult Student Services Officer Daniela Fields.

Urban Studies Core

Core courses provide academic grounding in central Urban Studies topics.  Urban Studies majors should complete URBANST 110 Utopia and Reality: Introduction to Urban Studies, before Spring Quarter of the junior year. The following courses, totaling 23 units, are required:

URBANST 110 Utopia and Reality: Introduction to Urban Studies 4
URBANST 111 Political Power in American Cities 5
URBANST 112 The Urban Underclass 4
URBANST 113 Introduction to Urban Design: Contemporary Urban Design in Theory and Practice 5
URBANST 114 Urban Culture in Global Perspective 5    

Skills

Skills courses provide research skills to apply to the capstone project, as well as marketable skills valued by many employers and graduate schools.  A minimum of 9 units in 3 courses of at least 3 units each are required, and should preferably be taken before the end of the junior year so that the research skills can be applied to the capstone project. The following courses are recommended for most Urban Studies majors:

SOC 180A Foundations of Social Research 4

EARTHSYS 144

OR ANTHRO 130D

Fundamentals of Geographic Information Science (GIS)

Spatial Approaches to Social Science is an approved substitute for EARTHSYS 144.

3-4

The additional skills courses vary depending on a student's needs and interests. Student consult with an adviser to determine the best choice. Courses that fulfill the skills requirement are:

ANTHRO 91 Method and Evidence in Anthropology 5
ANTHRO 93B Prefield Research Seminar: Non-Majors 5
ANTHRO 102 Urban Ethnography 5
EARTHSYS 127 GIS for good: Applications of GIS for International Development and Humanitarian Assistance 3-4  
ECON 102A Introduction to Statistical Methods (Postcalculus) for Social Scientists 5
EDUC 191X Introduction to Survey Research 3-4
HUMBIO 82A Qualitative Research Methodology 3
HUMBIO 82B Advanced Data Analysis in Qualitative Research 3
MED 147 Methods in Community Assessment, Evaluation, and Research 3
OSPCPTWN 22 Preparation for Community-Based Research in Community Health and Development 3
PEDS 202C Qualitative Research Methods and Study Design 3
POLISCI 155 Political Data Science 5
SOC 180B Introduction to Data Analysis 4
URBANST 123B Approaching Research in the Community ¿ Design and Methods 3

Concentrations

Concentrations allow in-depth understanding of a particular field in Urban Studies.  Students must complete 20 units (minimum) in an area of concentration. There are 5 concentration options:

Service Learning

Service Learning connects theory and practice, providing valuable service to a community organization as well as learning that goes beyond what can be taught in a classroom.  All majors are required to complete an approved service-learning course or internship, via one of the following options:

Capstone

The capstone project is the culmination of a student's work in Urban Studies.  Through a sequence of two seminars, the first in winter of junior year and the second in fall of senior year, students design a senior project, and write the results of their project. The capstone seminars can be used to satisfy the Writing in the Major requirement and to complete some work on an honors thesis. 

  • URBANST 202, Preparation for Senior Research, should be taken in the junior year, and 
  • URBANST 203, Senior Seminar, in the senior year.
  • Students who plan to be away during Winter Quarter of their junior year are advised to take URBANST 202, Preparation for Senior Research, in the Winter Quarter of their sophomore year.
URBANST 202 Preparation for Senior Research 5
URBANST 203 Senior Seminar 5

 

For more details on the Urban Studies major, consult the entry on Urban Studies in the Stanford Bulletin.

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