Kevin R. Hardwick, Department of Political Science, Director; Robert J. Butler, Patricia B. Christian, George Palumbo, Craig Rogers, Nancy J. Rosenbloom.
Contemporary American society is an urban society. The future American society, with all its problems and prospects, will also be urban in nature. The Urban Studies program is designed to prepare students for professional work in urban and public administrative fields, and to give students who enter other fields a broad understanding of the urban context in which they will live their lives.
The program concentrates on issues that are very close to our experience — economic growth and decline, public education, health, housing, land-use planning, poverty, racial and ethnic relations, transportation, crime, community development and others. Since no one approach to understanding and resolving such complex problems is sufficient, the Urban Studies program acquaints students with a variety of approaches to, and tools for, analyzing the interrelationships of the 20th century urban milieu. As half of a dual major, the program allows for a necessary specialized grounding in a traditional discipline, while providing a planned, interdisciplinary program in place of free electives. The student must major in one of the traditional disciplines such as Criminal Justice, Economics, Political Science, History, or Sociology/Anthropology, and then use free electives in a coordinated, interdisciplinary program comprising a major in Urban Studies.
The program is organized to permit the student a choice between Option I (Liberal Arts) and Option II (Urban Public Management). Option I provides the student with an opportunity to examine the urban phenomena from a multiplicity of different perspectives and disciplines. Option II offers a specialized series of courses that are vital to a promising public administrator.
The Urban Studies program offers a solid preparation for graduate programs in public administration, community development and planning, social work, public policy, criminal justice and urban affairs. It is also a recommended choice for pre-law students, and for those aspiring to careers in journalism, communications, teaching, government service, social work, law enforcement, community organization and land-use planning, as well as those industries that are increasingly conscious of the influence of urban society upon them and their impact on urban society.
Extensive internship and professional research experiences are an integral component of the Urban Studies program. Such activities are a vital aspect of preparation for graduate school and/or a professional career. Also, an intensive study of computer programming as applicable to the social sciences is provided.
Admission
Any student in good standing may begin the Urban Studies program. However, satisfactory performance in basic Urban Studies courses is required for admission to the Internship and Independent Study. Also, students must maintain at least a “C” average in all coursework to remain in the program. The first course for the Urban Studies major will normally be URS 200 - Urban Plunge. (NOTE: Students in those few majors that require thirteen or more courses for their majors may find difficulty fitting the Urban Studies program into their schedules.)
Urban Studies Curriculum:
| 1. | ENG 101, ENG 102, PHI 101, RST 101 (4 courses) | (12) | ||
| 2. | Area Studies: Two courses from each of these areas: I, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII 1 (12-14 courses) |
(36-42) | ||
| 3. | Major course requirements: (24-21 courses) | |||
| a. Urban Studies requirements: | ||||
| URS 200 Urban Plunge | (1) | |||
| PSC 103 Constitutional Foundations of American Government | (3) | |||
| OR | ||||
| PSC 104 American Political Process | ||||
| ECO 102 Principles of Microeconomics | (3) | |||
| URS 237 State and Local Politics | (3) | |||
| URS 334 Public Administration | (3) | |||
| URS 336 Urban Government and Politics | (3) | |||
| URS 337 Urban History | (3) | |||
| URS 311 Regional Economics and GIS | (3) | |||
| OR | ||||
| URS 312 Spatial Economics and GIS | ||||
| OR | ||||
| ECO 411 State and Local Finance | ||||
| Urban Studies Electives: three courses to be chosen from one of the following two options: |
(9) | |||
| Option 1 (Liberal Arts): URS 109, URS 215, URS 311, URS 312, URS 322, URS 350, URS 378, URS 381, URS 382, URS 445, URS 498, URS 499, ECO 101, ECO 411, HIS 381, PSC 103, PSC 104, PSC 327, RST 225 | ||||
| Option 2 (Urban Public Management): URS 201, URS 215, URS 311, URS 312, URS 350, URS 4982 , URS 499, ECO 101, ECO 411, ACC 201, COM 312, MIS 130, PSC 103, PSC 104 | ||||
| Note: Additional courses may be substituted with permission of the Urban Studies director. Not more than two elective courses may be double counted with the first major electives. | ||||
| b. Requirements of second major | (30-39) | |||
| 4. | Electives (0-1 courses) | (0-3) | ||
| Total (40 courses) | (121) | |||
Recommended Schedule:
Since the specific arrangement of courses depends on the student’s first major, the recommended course of study outlined below is very general. Each student in the program is required to arrange a specific schedule in consultation with a program advisor.
| Fall | Spring | |||||
| Freshman Year | ||||||
| ENG 101 | 3 | ENG 102 | 3 | |||
| ECO 102 | 3 | RST 101 | 3 | |||
| PSC 103 or PSC 104 | 3 | URS 200 | 1 | |||
| Course in second major | 3 | Course in second major | 3 | |||
| AS | 3 | AS | 3 | |||
| Total | 15 | AS | 3 | |||
| Total | 16 | |||||
| Sophomore Year | ||||||
| PHI 101 | 3 | URS 373 | 3 | |||
| Course in second major | 3 | Course in second major | 3 | |||
| AS | 3 | Course in second major | 3 | |||
| AS | 3 | AS | 3 | |||
| AS | 3 | AS | 3 | |||
| Total | 15 | Total | 15 | |||
| Junior Year | ||||||
| URS 311, URS 312 or ECO 411 |
3 | URS 237 | 3 | |||
| URS 334 | 3 | AS | 3 | |||
| Course in second major | 3 | Course in second major | 3 | |||
| Course in second major | 3 | AS | 3 | |||
| AS | 3 | AS | 3 | |||
| Total | 15 | Total | 15 | |||
| Senior Year | ||||||
| Urban Studies elective | 3 | URS 336 | 3 | |||
| Urban Studies elective | 3 | Urban Studies elective | 3 | |||
| Course in second major | 3 | Course in second major | 3 | |||
| AS | 3 | Course in second major | 3 | |||
| AS | 3 | AS | 3 | |||
| Total | 15 | Total | 15 | |||
| Total | 121 |
COURSES: 2005 – 2007
URS 109 (FAH 109) History of Architecture 3
See FAH 109.
URS 200 Urban Plunge 1
48-hour immersion into the inner city, observing and working with city, church, and community organizations that strive to meet the needs of the poor.
URS 201 Planning for Urban Revitalization 3
Dynamics, concepts, and strategies of urban revitalization. Introduction to planning and policy-making with emphasis on neighborhoods, housing, and economic development.
URS 215 (PSC 215) National Issues and Public Policy 3
See PSC 215.
URS 237 (PSC 237) State and Local Politics 3
See PSC 237.
URS 266 (FAH 266) Modern Architecture 3
See FAH 266.
URS 311 (ECO 311) Regional Economics and GIS 3
See ECO 311
URS 312 (ECO 312) Spatial Economics and GIS 3
See ECO 312
URS 334 (PSC 334) Public Administration 3
See PSC 334.
URS 336 (PSC 336) Urban Government and Politics 3
See PSC 336.
URS 350 (PSC 217, SOC 342) Methods for Urban Analysis 3
See PSC 217.
URS 373 (HIS 373) Urban Portraits: American Urban History 3
See HIS 373.
URS 378 (HIS 378) History of American Railroads 3
See HIS 378.
URS 381 (HIS 381) History of Buffalo 3
See HIS 381.
URS 382 (HIS 382) New York State History 3
See HIS 382.
URS 390 (HIS 396) Politics and Society in American Film 3
See HIS 396.
URS 498 Urban Internship 1-9
Participant observation and evaluation of an urban program or agency. Students devote 10 hours per week to significant activities related to their skills and interests. Prerequisite: Placement by Urban Studies Director.
URS 499 Independent Study 1-9
Research and/or directed reading under direction of faculty members associated with Urban Studies Program. Prerequisite: Permission of Urban Studies Director.
1 Area II is automatically fulfilled because this program is in the social sciences.
2 URS 498 (Urban Internship) may be taken for an additional nine credits but will be counted as only one of the required electives.