Courses

Anthropology (ANTH) 394

Urban Anthropology (Revision 3)

Revision 3 closed, replaced by current version.

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Delivery Mode: Individualized study or grouped study.

Credits: 3

Area of Study: Social Science

Prerequisite: ANTH 275 or SOCI 287.

Centre: Centre for Work and Community Studies

ANTH 394 has a Challenge for Credit option.

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Overview

ANTH 394 is designed to provide you with an extensive overview of urban settlements, from their first appearance some 5000 years ago, to contemporary cities in the developing and developed world. As you proceed through the course, you will gain a comprehensive knowledge of the development of cities, their physical structures, the diversity of urban groups, and various urban social issues. You will also gain an understanding of the theoretical and methodological approaches taken not only by anthropologists, but also by geographers, sociologists, political economists, and social psychologists as they study cities and city life. Anthropology 394 is best described as having an interdisciplinary approach, but with a strong anthropological focus.

Outline

The course consists of the following six units.

Unit 1: Understanding the City

Unit 2: History of Cities and New Trends

Unit 3: Disciplinary Perspectives

Unit 4: The Anatomy of the City

Unit 5: Global Urbanization

Unit 6: The Planning and Evaluation of Cities

Evaluation

To receive credit for this course, you must achieve a minimum of D (50 percent) on both the mid-term and final examinations, and an overall grade of “D” (50 percent) for the entire course. The weighting of the composite grade is as follows:

Quiz 1	Quiz 2	Short Essays Assign	Mid-term Exam	Research Paper Outline	Quiz 3	Research Paper Assign	Final Exam	Total
2%	4%	20%	20%	5%	4%	25%	20%	100%

To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University's online Calendar.

Course Materials

Textbooks

Gmelch, George, and Walter P. Zenner, eds. 2002. Urban Life: Readings in the Anthropology of the City. 4th ed. Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland Press, Inc.

Macionis, John J., and Vincent N. Parrillo. 2004. Cities and Urban Life. 3rd ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

Other materials

The course materials include course manual, study guide, and optional course components.

Challenge for Credit Course Overview

The Challenge for Credit process allows students to demonstrate that they have acquired a command of the general subject matter, knowledge, intellectual and/or other skills that would normally be found in a university level course.

Full information for the Challenge for Credit can be found in the Undergraduate Calendar.

Undergraduate Challenge for Credit Policy
Undergraduate Challenge for Credit Procedures

Challenge Evaluation

To receive credit for the ANTH 394 challenge registration, you must achieve a grade of at least “D” (50 per cent) on the examination.

Take Home Exam

Undergraduate Challenge for Credit Course Registration Form

Challenge for Credit Form

Athabasca University reserves the right to amend course outlines occasionally and without notice. Courses offered by other delivery methods may vary from their individualized-study counterparts.

Opened in Revision 3, August 3, 2007.