Urban Planning 523:
Regional Planning
Fall Semester, 2013
Prof Scott Campbell

last updated Tuesday, July 21, 2015


Students are expected to complete all the required readings before the start of class and be ready to actively participate in class discussions. Students will also make group presentations and write five short response papers. There will be no final exam. The work load (readings and paper assignments) is fairly evenly spaced throughout the semester. Please read these guidelines about writing, coursework and academic integrity.

Module

Presenters

Five Short Response Papers (3 pages each)

1. History and Politics

[no group presentation]

[no paper for this module]

2. New York (Oct 3)

James, Terra

due Oct 3

3. Chicago (Oct 10)

Amal, Wenqi

due Oct 17

4. West Coast: LA, SF, Portland (Oct 29)

Cole, Evan M.

due Oct 31

5. Ecoregions (Nov 12)

Jonas, Danielle M.

due Nov 19

6. Detroit (Nov 19)

Josh, Alyson, Jordan

[no paper for this module]

7. New Regionalism, Global Regions (Dec 5)

Evan J., Cheng

due Dec 6

Group Presentations

The class will divide into six presentation groups -- one for each module (no presentation for the "history and politics module"). (Group size will vary from 2-3 students depending on class size.) Each group is responsible for making a major presentation on the last day of their respective modules. These presentations may include images, maps, multimedia, handouts, etc. Students are encouraged to make creative, analytical, engaging, visually rich presentations that (a) address the themes of the module, (b) add new material on the theme not covered by the course readings, (c) identify and answer several critical questions raised by the module, and (d) encourage discussion. Group members should be ready to answer questions posed by the class members. Groups should begin meeting at least several weeks before their scheduled presentation date and begin preparations. Use this preparation time to read outside documents on the theme, prepare visuals, develop your presentations structure, themes and main analytical points, and develop a division of labor within your group. (Note: the goal is NOT to summarize all the readings in the module; instead, explore more deeply and innovatively some of the themes and ideas that emerge during the module. Your presentation should complement and augment the module's readings, not duplicate them.) These are major presentations; you are expected to put a lot of work into preparation.

Group Formation will begin early in the semester, so please plan ahead and be ready to express your preferences.

 


Five Short (3 page) Response Papers

The course is organized into modules, each on a specific theme. For each module, I will issue a question that relates to the course readings. Each student is to write an original response to the question. The goals of the assignment are to encourage all students to actively engage with the readings, to keep up with the weekly reading assignments, and to continuously relate the readings to major questions in regional planning. The answers will be due in class on the assigned date. Late assignments result in point reductions.

Format and Guidelines on Style

Grading

Assignment

Percent of Grade

response papers (12% each)

60%

group presentation

30%

class participation

10%

Total

100%