Global Urbanisms Spring II 2023

June 22nd, 2023 – August 11th, 2023

Professor: Jesse Allen
E-mail: Jesse.allen@guttman.cuny.edu
Course: UBST 225 01S(6976)
Date: Monday and  Thursday
Time:10:20 – 12:20 PM
Room: Room 504
Office Hours: Mon. 12:30 PM or by appointment
Credit: 3 credits

Course Description:

This course will examine urban issues and the processes of urbanization in an international context. Topics and themes explored will include: the influence of globalization on cities worldwide, and the influential position of cities in the process of globalization (from colonialism to transnational neoliberalization); the significance of cities for addressing the issue of global climate change; comparative perspectives on how cities internationally address pressing challenges such as transportation, housing, and economic development in a post-Fordist economy; the roles of different cities in a global economy: from command and control centers to the rapidly growing megacities of the global south; historical perspectives on global urban development, including the role of certain cities in anchoring and shaping culturally, politically, and economically significant geographic regions; uneven development within and among world cities, and the relationship between urbanization and economic and social inequality; comparative perspectives on the cultural dimensions of urbanism and urbanization; and the role that culture has in shaping the governance, design, and function of cities worldwide.

Learning Objectives:

Upon successful completion of this course, student will be able to do the following:

1. Identify the key and unique components of a global approach to urbanization.
2. Define the term globalization and give examples of a how globalization has changed the urban experience.
3. Identify the importance of the process of colonization and its historical significance in the development of global urbanisms.
4. Synthesize information and draw conclusions about the changing role of the city in the global economy.
5. Understand the consequences of some of the most serious environmental impacts of international economics, and critically assess some of the possible environmental policy options.
6. Describe the relationship between poverty and the growth of urbanization in the global context.

Course Format:

This is a Hybrid Asynchronous course which means we will have one class in person and one class will be to review and engage with course material asynchronously. 

This course will consist of learning modules, which include:
· Short Video/PowerPoint Lectures
· Readings
· Discussions
· Written Assignments

You may not save up your assignments to complete in the last weeks or days of the semester. One critical part of this class is regular interaction with other students and with me, your instructor. Each assignment sequence must be completed on schedule – you can’t work ahead or get behind and be successful.

Required Text:

There is no required textbook to be purchased for this class. The instructor will provide
students with the reading materials for the course. Students are required and expected to complete the weekly assigned readings and other coursework (videos, webpages, etc…)
Students will learn from the works of scholars and experts in the field as well as, from
newspapers, journals, articles, videos, websites, and other sources.

Assignments:

• Students will submit 5 weekly responses in the discussion section of no less than 500 words.
• Students will view videos selected by the instructor focusing on aspects of the media.
• Students will write 1 Critical Response paper of 1200 words and 1 final paper of 1800 words

Grading:

Grading:

Participation 9 x 20 = 180
5 Weekly Response posts in Discussion 5 x 100 = 500
Critical Response Reflection Paper 140
Final Paper 180

Total: 1000 pts

Total: 1000 pts

will consist of learning modules, which include:
· Short Video/PowerPoint Lectures
· Readings
· Discussions
· Exams
· Field Exercises
· Written Exercises

You may not save up your assignments to complete in the last weeks or days of the semester. One critical part of this class is regular interaction with other students and with me, your instructor. Each assignment sequence must be completed on schedule – you can’t work ahead or get behind and be successful.

How to Be a Successful Student

Successful learners:

1. Do not procrastinate;
2. Are open to sharing professional experiences;
3. Enhance discussions;
4. Have good communication skills with both Professor and peers;
5. Use proactive communication;
6. Are self-motivated and self-disciplined;
7. Have a commitment to learning;
8. Have critical thinking and decision-making skills;
9. Believe quality learning can take place
10. Have good time management skills.

Course Communication

I will be communicating with you regarding grades and assignments. If you need to get in touch with me, the best method is via email or after class. Generally, I will reply to emails within 24 hours and will provide feedback on assignments within 72 hours. You may also post questions pertaining to the course on the Blackboard Discussion Board. These questions will be answered within 24 hours.

If you are having trouble with this course or its material, you should discuss with me after class or contact me via email to discuss the issues.

Announcements will be posted to this course whenever necessary. If there is any other information I think is important, I will send it to your email address you have in Blackboard. It is your responsibility to ensure that your email account works properly in order to receive email.

Below is how you check your email address in Blackboard:
· Access blackboard
· Click your name on the main Blackboard navigation panel on the left
· Review your email address. By default, Blackboard uses your college email address

Weekly Course Schedule

Each week will begin on a Monday and will end on a Sunday. You will complete one weekly course module each week of the course.

In order to complete all of the module assignments, you will spend about 12 hours per week on the course materials and course-related activities using Blackboard, discussion boards, and reading and reflecting on the texts. A list of weekly responsibilities/deadlines follows:
· Monday/Thursday: Class/Course material review
Read assigned text(s) for week.
· Weds. 11:59 PM: Discussion/Written Assignments due

Technology Requirements

To complete assignments, you will need:
· Access to a working computer that has a current operating system with updates installed,
· Reliable Internet access and a Guttman email account;
· A current Internet browser that is compatible with Blackboard (Google Chrome is the recommended browser for Blackboard);
· Microsoft Word as your word processing program; and
· Reliable data storage for your work, such as a USB drive, Dropbox or Office365 OneDrive cloud storage.

Minimal Technical Skills Needed

Minimal technical skills are needed in this course. All work in this course must be completed and submitted online through Blackboard. Therefore, you must have consistent and reliable access to a computer and the Internet. The minimal technical skills you have include the ability to:
· Organize and save electronic files;
· Use Guttman email and attached files;
· Check email and Blackboard daily;
· Download and upload documents;
· Locate information with a browser; and
· Use Blackboard.
Technical Support

If you need access to a laptop, need support or have any technology, IT-related questions including about Blackboard, please contact the helpdesk and submit an online request at helpdesk@guttman.cuny.edu.

The Help Desk is open Monday – Friday from 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM. If you need Blackboard help outside of these hours, you can contact Blackboard support at: 646-664-2024 or go to https://www.cuny.edu/about/administration/offices/cis/core-functions/cuny-blackboard/helpsupport/

If you do not have regular, reliable access to internet, please contact Dean.ose@guttman.cuny.edu so they can assist you.

General Support

Any student who has difficulty affording groceries or accessing sufficient food to eat every day, or who lacks a safe and stable place to live, or needs mental health support and believes this may affect their performance in this course is urged to visit the Guttman Essential Information for Personal Well Being website for support and to email the Dean of Students at Dean.OSE@guttman.cuny.edu. Please use these resources for support and let your instructor know if we can support in any other ways.

Evaluation and Grading Scale

Assignments:

• Students will submit 5 weekly responses in the discussion section of at least one paragraph that references the course material..
• Students will view videos and read articles selected by the instructor focusing on particular aspects of the material that are relevant to the topics being reviewed.
• Students will write 1 Critical Response paper of 1200 words and 1 final paper of 1600 words

Grading:

Participation 10 x 10 = 100
5 Weekly Response posts in Discussion 5 x 100 = 500
Critical Response Paper 150
Rough Draft 50
Final Paper 200

Total: 1000 pts

Grade Quality Points 100 Point Scale
A+ 4.0 97-100%
A 4.0 93-96.9%
A- 3.7 90-92.9%
B+ 3.3 87-89.9%
B 3.0 83-86.9%
B- 2.7 80-82.9%
C+ 2.3 77-79.9%
C 2.0 73-76.9%
C- 1.7 70-72.9%
D+ 1.3 67-69.9%
D (passing) 1.0 60-66.9%
F 0 0-59.9%
NC* Not calculated 0-59.9%

Policies and Procedures

All registered students are expected to follow all Guttman and CUNY rules and regulations, in particular the Code of Conduct, Academic Integrity Policy, Sexual Misconduct Policy, and CUNY’s Policy on Acceptable Use of Computer Resources during the period of distance learning and online instruction. Any student found to be in violation of these policies can face disciplinary action.

Policy on Academic Honesty
Guttman Community College considers intellectual honesty to be the cornerstone of all academic and scholarly work. GCC views any form of academic dishonesty as a serious matter and requires all instructors to report every case of academic dishonesty to its Academic Integrity Officer, who keeps records of all cases. All work submitted or posted by students in this course must be their own. Submission of writing or ideas which are not the original work of the student, or which is not adequately referenced, is considered plagiarism. Unintentional plagiarism is still plagiarism, so if you have any question about whether or not to acknowledge a source, acknowledge it. And if you are still uncertain, be sure to ask. Refer to Article II of your Student Grievance Procedures for further details on academic honesty and Guttman’s academic integrity procedures, at [Academic Policies url link] Penalties for academic dishonesty include academic sanctions, such as failing or otherwise reduced grades, and/or disciplinary sanctions, including suspension or expulsion.

Disability Support Services

In compliance with the American Disability Act of 1990 (ADA) and with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Guttman Community College is committed to ensuring educational parity and accommodations for all students with documented disabilities and/or medical conditions. It is recommended that all students with documented disabilities (Emotional, Medical, Physical and/ or Learning) consult the Office of AccessABILITY located in Room 509-B to secure necessary academic accommodations and adjustments for additional information and assistance please call 646-313-8833 or email accessabilityservices@guttman.cuny.edu.

Time Expectations
For every one instructional credit hour, a Guttman student is expected to spend at least two hours studying, reading, writing, researching and working on projects, and preparing for tests.

Starfish
Starfish is a communication tool for students, faculty, advisors, and many academic support and student service areas at Guttman. Instructors and advisors will use Starfish to provide you with feedback about your progress. Throughout the semester, you may receive emails or text messages regarding your academic performance and referrals to specific campus resources, such as peer mentors or tutors. You can use Starfish to “Raise Your Hand” and ask questions, and make appointments with your advisor or with other service areas. To access Starfish log into my.guttman.cuny.edu and click the Starfish icon on the left side of the page. If you need help using Starfish, you can speak to your advisor.

Participation Policy

Success in this course is dependent on your active participation throughout the course. You are expected to attend class and log into Blackboard and complete course assignments. Even if your work is completed, you still need to login to ensure that you have seen all announcements, etc. You are expected to attend class. If there is an issue with logging in please notify me before hand.

• Class participation is necessary – 2 sessions of not participating in class will lead to a drop in letter grade if you have not discussed reason for non participation

Class Conduct/Netiquette/Viewpoint Tolerance
Some of the issues covered during the seminar may evoke strong emotions. Students, faculty and staff must be able to disagree respectfully with others on topics that are personally very important to them. Civility is essential to all scholarly discourse.

Professionalism will be expected at all times, but most especially with your interactions in class and online. Because the university classroom is a place designed for the free exchange of ideas, we must show respect for one another in all circumstances. We will show respect for one another by exhibiting patience and courtesy in our exchanges. Appropriate language and restraint from verbal attacks upon those whose perspectives differ from your own is a minimum requirement. Courtesy and kindness is the norm for those who participate in my class.

Our discussions in class and on the discussion board is a way for you to share your ideas and learning with your colleagues in this class. We do this as colleagues in learning, and the Discussion Board is meant to be a safe and respectful environment for us to conduct these discussions.

Some Netiquette Rules:
· Treat one another with respect. It will be expected that we will not attack one another personally for holding different opinions.
· Do not use all CAPITAL LETTERS in emails or discussion board postings. This is considered “shouting” and is seen as impolite or aggressive.
· Begin emails with a proper salutation (Examples: Dr. Name; Ms. Name; Hello Professor Name; Good afternoon Mr. Name). Starting an email without a salutation or a simple “Hey” is not appropriate.
· When sending an email, please include a detailed subject line. Additionally, make sure you reference the course number (Ex. ENGL 287) in the message and sign the mail with your name.
· Use proper grammar, spelling, punctuation, and capitalization. Text messaging language is not acceptable.
· Re-Read, think, and edit your message before you click “Send/Submit/Post.”
Please remember when posting to be respectful and courteous to your colleagues, and limit your posts to discussions of this course and its assignments.

Late Work/Make-up Policy

All assignments are due by the deadline as posted on the course schedule.

Please plan accordingly, and complete these assignments in advance of their deadlines to ensure any unanticipated circumstances do not result in a missed assignment. User error does not qualify you for any kind of makeup or retake opportunity.

Completing and submitting the assignments by the due date is the sole responsibility of you. If you receive an incomplete score because of failure to submit the assignment by the due date, then your score for that assignment will be recorded as “zero.”

You will be allowed to access the assignments an unlimited number of times until the due date/time, and take quizzes one time each on or before the due date/time as indicated on the course calendar. If you are concerned about missing a deadline, you may want to do any of the following:
· Post your assignment the day before the deadline; or
· Begin quizzes as soon as they are made available online.
Late assignments will be accepted if the following two requirements are met:

1. You must contact me in advance of the exam’s deadline to make arrangements for its completion.
2. You must complete the assignment within the week following its due date.
   Late assignments will be subject to the following penalty: 10% will be deducted from your grade for the first day late, and an additional 5% will be deducted on each subsequent day.

Be Careful: The clock on your computer may be different than the clock in Blackboard. If the clock is different by one second, you will be locked out of the assignment. Plan accordingly. I recommend that you submit your assignments, quizzes, and exams well before the deadline.

Expectations of the Instructor

I expect students will participate, engage in critical thinking and contribute to the course. I also expect that students will communicate with me either in synchronous sessions or via email

I am expected to facilitate learning, answer questions appropriately, be fair and objective in grading, provide timely and useful feedback on student work.