Course Code: MS001704
Course Name: Urban Social Theory and Research
Course Name in Chinese: 城市社会理论与研究
Credit: 2
Course Introduction:
This course aims to help students understand contemporary urban social theory and acquire the major sociological paradigms, core concepts, and research methods needed to support planning practice. The course takes sociological interpretations of urban issues as its main thread, with a primary focus on European and North American practices while also drawing on urban experiences from the Global South. Adopting an international outlook and a comparative perspective, it examines contemporary urban life, socio-spatial structures, and processes of urban transformation from multiple dimensions. It also explores how urban planning and public policy reshape social relations, encouraging students to critically understand urban issues and evaluate planning practices and their social impacts. Through the course, students will develop a systematic understanding of the fundamental theories and key areas of urban sociology, gain insight into the interactions between society and space, and build a theoretical framework for understanding and assessing urban social issues. They will develop the ability to compare urban experiences across different contexts and evaluate planning practices and policies, while also acquiring basic methods for applying social research to support planning, design, and project implementation. The course is organized thematically and combines lectures with discussions of classic and cutting-edge literature.
Course Introduction in Chinese:
本课程旨在引导学生理解当代城市社会理论，掌握支撑规划实践所需的主要社会学范式、核心概念与研究方法。课程以城市议题的社会学解读为主线，以欧美实践为主，结合全球南方城市经验，立足国际视野和比较视角，多维度分析当代城市生活、社会空间结构及城市演变进程。同时关注城市规划与公共政策如何重塑社会关系，引导学生批判性地理解城市问题、评价规划实践及其社会影响。通过课程学习，学生能够系统掌握城市社会学的基本理论与研究内容，理解社会与空间的互动机制，建立研判城市社会问题的理论框架，形成比较不同城市经验、评价规划实践与政策的能力，并掌握运用社会研究支持规划、设计与项目推进的基本方法。课程采用专题式教学，结合理论讲授与经典、前沿文献讨论。
Course Director:
Alain BOURIDN
法国巴黎城市规划娱乐城教授
Coordinating Teacher: 万婷婷 Wan Tingting
E-mail: [email protected]
Course Level: Master program
Semester Offered: Autumn Semester
