ON THIS PAGE
Urban Society and Social Change
Why Urban Society and Social Change?
Many students are drawn to Urban Studies by their desire to understand and address the unique problems confronting cities today. This concentration focuses on issues in contemporary urban society, and on the tools and concepts that can bring about change to improve urban life. Courses focus on a diverse range of issues, from environmental degradation to racial and class inequality. Students also learn how community action, urban planning and design, and organizations in nonprofit, for-profit, and government sectors address these challenges.
This concentration prepares students to enter graduate programs concerned with urban affairs, community service, and public policy, and to work with local governmental agencies and for-profit and nonprofit organizations engaged in community service and development.
Advising
Students in this concentration may select as their advisor either
Michael Kahan (email) (read more)
Or Doug McAdam (email) (read more)
Special Programs and Opportunities
Students in the Urban Society and Social Change concentration should consider applying for a Haas Center Summer Fellowship, which provides funding for a summer spent working for a non-profit or government organization.
Those interested in policy should also consider applying for a summer placement with Stanford in Government, or a quarter at Stanford in Washington. Consult your Urban Studies advisor to determine if courses or internships taken in Washington can fulfill Urban Studies course requirements or the internship requirement.
Required Course
The following course is required for the Urban Society and Social Change concentration:
POLISCI 133. Ethics and Politics of Public Service
Additional Courses
The following courses may be counted toward the Urban Society and Social Change concentration. Please consult with your advisor to select a program of courses that suits your intellectual and personal goals.
AUTUMN 12/13 COURSES:
| CEE | 100 | Managing Sustainable Building Projects |
| CEE | 124 | Sustainable Development Studio |
| CEE | 129 | Climate Change Adaptation for Seaports: Engineering and Policy for a Sustainable Future (CEE 229) |
| CEE | 141A | Infrastructure Project Development (CEE 241A) |
| EARTHSYS | 105 | Food and Community: New Visions for a Sustainable Future (EESS 105) |
| EARTHSYS | 112 | Human Society and Environmental Change (EESS 112, HISTORY 103D) |
| ENGR | 150 | Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship (ENGR 250) |
| HUMBIO | 116 | Controlling Climate Change in the 21st Century (BIO 147, BIO 247, EARTHSYS 147, EARTHSYS 247) |
| MS&E | 180 | Organizations: Theory and Management |
| PUBLPOL | 183 | Philanthropy and Social Innovation |
| SOC | 14N | Inequality in American Society (SNIPP) |
| SOC | 45Q | Understanding Race and Ethnicity in American Society (SNIPP) |
| SOC | 140 | Introduction to Social Stratification (SOC 240) |
| URBANST | 111 | Urban Politics (PUBLPOL 133) |
| URBANST | 115 | Urban Sustainability: Long-Term Archaeological Perspectives (CLASSGEN 123, CLASSGEN 223) |
| URBANST | 123 | Approaching Research and the Community |
| URBANST | 131 | Social Innovation and the Social Entrepreneur |
| URBANST | 133 | Social Entrepreneurship Collaboratory |
| URBANST | 160 | Environmental Policy and the City in U.S. History (HISTORY 260E) |
WINTER 12/13 COURSES:
| CEE | 64 | Air Pollution and Global Warming: History, Science, and Solutions (CEE 263D) |
| CEE | 124 | Sustainable Development Studio |
| CEE | 129 | Climate Change Adaptation for Seaports: Engineering and Policy for a Sustainable Future (CEE 229) |
| CEE | 141B | Infrastructure Project Delivery (CEE 241B) |
| CEE | 171 | Environmental Planning Methods |
| CEE | 172 | Air Quality Management |
| ECON | 150 | Economic Policy Analysis (PUBLPOL 104, PUBLPOL 204) |
| ECON | 155 | Environmental Economics and Policy |
| ENGR | 150 | Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship (ENGR 250) |
| HUMBIO | 122S | Social Class, Race, Ethnicity, and Health |
| HUMBIO | 127A | Community Health: Assessment and Planning I |
| HUMBIO | 128 | Community Health Psychology (PSYCH 101) |
| OSPCPTWN | 32 | Learning, Development, and Social Change: Service Learning in the Contemporary South African Contex- |
| SOC | 16N | African Americans and Social Movements |
| SOC | 118 | Social Movements and Collective Action (SOC 218) |
| SOC | 119 | Understanding Large-Scale Societal Change: The Case of the 1960s (SOC 219) |
| SOC | 146 | Introduction to Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity |
| URBANST | 132 | Concepts and Analytic Skills for the Social Sector |
| URBANST | 166 | East Palo Alto: Reading Urban Change |
| URBANST | 167 | The Automobile and the City |
SPRING 12/13 COURSES:
| ANTHRO | 32 | Theories in Race and Ethnicity: A Comparative Perspective |
| ASNAMST | 146S | Asian American Culture and Community (AMSTUD 146, COMPLIT 146, CSRE 146S) |
| CEE | 124 | Sustainable Development Studio |
| CEE | 129 | Climate Change Adaptation for Seaports: Engineering and Policy for a Sustainable Future (CEE 229) |
| CEE | 131A | Professional Practice: Mixed-Use Design in an Urban Setting |
| CEE | 246 | Entrepreneurship in Civil & Environmental Engineering |
| EARTHSYS | 104 | The Water Course (GEOPHYS 104) |
| EARTHSYS | 181 | Concepts of Urban Agriculture (EARTHSYS 281, EESS 181, EESS 281) |
| ECON | 150 | Economic Policy Analysis (PUBLPOL 104, PUBLPOL 204) |
| ENGR | 150 | Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship (ENGR 250) |
| HISTORY | 106A | Global Human Geography: Asia and Africa |
| HISTORY | 206 | History and Geography of Contemporary Global Issues |
| HISTORY | 260 | California's Minority-Majority Cities (CSRE 260) |
| HUMBIO | 127B | Community Health: Assessment and Planning II |
| MS&E | 180 | Organizations: Theory and Management |
| OSPCPTWN | 22 | Preparation for Community-Based Research in Community Health and Development |
| OSPCPTWN | 32 | Learning, Development, and Social Change: Service Learning in the Contemporary South African Contex- |
| POLISCI | 236 | Theories of Civil Society, Philanthropy, and the Nonprofit Sector (ETHICSOC 232T, POLISCI 236S) |
| PUBLPOL | 102 | Organizations and Public Policy (PUBLPOL 202) |
| PUBLPOL | 135 | Regional Politics and Decision Making in Silicon Valley |
| SOC | 135 | Poverty, Inequality, and Social Policy in the United States (SOC 235) |
| SOC | 145 | Race and Ethnic Relations in the USA (CSRE 145, SOC 245) |
| SOC | 161 | The Social Science of Entrepreneurship (SOC 261) |
| URBANST | 133 | Social Entrepreneurship Collaboratory |
| URBANST | 137 | Innovations in Microcredit and Development Finance |
| URBANST | 163 | Land Use Control |
| URBANST | 164 | Sustainable Cities |
| URBANST | 172 | Design Approaches to Mending a City: Rethinking the 101 in East Palo Alto |