“My most interesting course”
-- Student comment, Fall 2006 (see below)

Welcome to AAF/PSC 466!

This course is about the geographic study of urbanization. From this description, you might think it is about specific, fixed places: Providence, Boston, Chicago, Paris, or Tokyo. It is about such things, but it is much more than that. Cities are dynamic processes, and the geographic study of urbanization is about these processes as spatial processes. Cities are extraordinarily complex, and this course will introduce you to some of the ways social scientists deal with such complexity. Cities are also sites of some of humanity's most noble hopes and most terrifying fears. Unlike some other fields in the social sciences, the field of urban studies has a strong tradition of engagement with the world in order to change it for the better. This course will also engage you with some of the debates concerning such practical action and ask you to think about your own role within it. Finally, since the places we live are part of ourselves, this course will give you deeper insights into your own life, who you are, and who you may become.

We will go into this in more depth once the course starts, but for now you may have some questions about the course. The links below will take you to them and hopefully answer your questions. If they do not answer your questions, please contact the instructor via email by clicking . (Note: Your browser must have JavaScript enabled to use this.)

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is the difference between this course and CPL/GEG 202?

I have never taken a course online before. What do I need to know?

How does an online course work?

Does this course qualify for General Education credit?

Why should I study this subject?

What does this course cover?

What is the textbook for the course?

What is GIS and how will this course use it?

What else will I need for this course?

How will grades be determined?

Who is the instructor?

How do I log on to WebCT?

OK, sign me up. How do I register for the course?

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What is the difference between this course and CPL/GEG 202?

Not much. This course was previously offered as CPL/GEG 202: Introductory Urban Geography. For administrative reasons, it is being offered as a special topics course for Spring 2008. Since it is an upper-division course, it will have a little more reading, but otherwise its content will be the same (with improvements for the new model year). The other major difference is that it does not qualify for General Education credit (see below).

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I have never taken a course online before. What do I need to know?

Well the first thing is that online courses can be lots of fun. Working online gives both the instructor and student options that standard classrooms do not. Second, they can be terribly convenient. You can work on the course anytime you want and anywhere there is an Internet connection. Given the subject matter of this course, you can even sit in an Internet café on Times Square and ask the professor questions about the things you see. That's the unequivocal good news.

The disadvantage of an online course is that they are not for everyone. You must discipline yourself to do the work and not procrastinate. Think of yourself, your learning style, and your work habits before you sign up for this or any other online course. You will need to work regularly on the course, doing the reading assignments, homework, and the various online activities. The reading load for the course is not too heavy – about forty pages per week. Still, the reading is chock full of information, and you will need to read carefully. Plan on spending 3-4 hours per week on the reading and another 3-8 hours per week on homework and online activities. Another disadvantage is that almost all communication – between you and me and between you and your classmates – will be electronic, mainly by using a virtual learning environment called WebCT. I will help you as much as I can using various electronic means of communication. I also will “help” you avoid procrastination by observing your use of WebCT and scheduling things so you do not fall too far behind. Another implication is that you must read instructions very carefully. In a conventional course the teacher may give instructions multiple ways – verbally, in handouts, on the blackboard, etc. -- but instructions in an online course typically come in only one, electronic format. Students who do not pay careful attention sometimes miss important details. Finally, computers are an integral part of online courses, so online courses are not for technophobes. If you hate computers, maybe you should not take a course that requires you to use a computer for everything but the assigned reading.

To help you decide if an online course is for you, you should check out URI Online, a web page that introduces you to online learning at URI. The page gives an explanation of what online learning is, things you should consider before taking an online course, and what characteristics you need to have or to develop to be successful in this or any other online course. You can also find a somewhat more extensive overview of online learning, Introduction to Online Learning, at the University of Denver (pages 10-13 deal with specifics at the University of Denver, and you can safely ignore them.) You may want to take the University of Denver's Self Assessment Quiz to see if you are suited for an online course.

You will find at this site and others like it on the Web that, in brief, persons who succeed at online courses:

• have access to a computer and the Internet

• are comfortable using a computer, email, an Internet browser (like Internet Explorer or Firefox), and a word processor (like Microsoft Word or Open Office Writer)

• are self-motivated and disciplined

• work independently

• actively participate in the class

• manage their time well

• are goal directed

Many of these characteristics are useful for succeeding in life as well as in online courses. Therefore, even if you believe you are not particularly well suited for online courses, you still may want to take this or another one in order to develop these characteristics in yourself. Just be aware that to develop these characteristics you will probably have to put in extra time and effort because online courses require them.

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How does an online course work?

To answer your question, some background will be helpful. In How to be a Successful Online Student (McGraw-Hill, 2000), Sarah Gilbert lists four types of online learning:

• Computer-assisted instruction (CAI) in which the computer acts as a teaching machine, with interactive tools for practice, learning new concepts, and so on.

• Computer-managed instruction (CMI) in which the computer keeps track of student activities and progress.

• Computer-mediated communication (CMC) uses such things as email, instant messaging, and electronic whiteboards.

• Computer-based multimedia (CBM) use a variety of electronic tools to integrate multimedia, such as video or audio, into a systematic learning environment.

Online courses at URI generally use WebCT (which stands for “Web Course Tools”), a web-based “virtual learning environment” which has tools for CMI and CMC and provides an interface for instructor-developed CAI and CBM. Because WebCT allows a fair amount of flexibility, it is difficult to generalize much more.

In the case of this course, all instruction will be online. Once you register for the course and classes begin, you will be able to log on to WebCT and access the course web site. There you will find four categories of course-related materials and tools: course information, communication tools, assessment, and resources. Under “course information” you will find instructions for getting started in the course and the syllabus. You will then be responsible for following the instructions, communicating with the instructor and other students via the communication tools (such as chat rooms, discussion boards, and email), taking scheduled assessments (such as graded quizzes and ungraded surveys) and submitting assignments, and using the resources as appropriate.

Practically all handouts, assignments, and other instructor-distributed materials will be available on WebCT via download. The instructor's lectures will be viewable as web-based presentations, with downloadable lecture notes. The only times you may have to come into URI are to pick up materials that cannot be distributed via the Internet (such as a CD), to use the library, to use computers if you do not have one at home, or to get technical help using the computer software when help at a distance just does not work. Your grades and instructor feedback will all be available online, as will one-on-one help from the instructor.

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Does this course qualify for General Education credit?

Unfortunately not. Because this is a 400-level course, it is not considered to provide general knowledge upon which other courses can build.

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Why should I study this subject?

Here are a few reasons

• Most of the world's population will be “urban” by 2007. As of 2005, 83% of the US population lives in metropolitan areas, 10% in micropolitan areas. Urban geography helps us understand their living environments.

• Relations between metropolitan regions are very important in today’s world.

• Cities are seedbeds of civilization. By studying cities we study society; we study ourselves.

• Our places define who we are. By studying cities we understand ourselves better.

• It helps us deal with pressing environmental, social, and economic issues.

• It is excellent background for a wide variety of disciplines, jobs, and professions. Here are a few: advocacy, architect, artist, banking, cartographer, case manager, chamber of commerce director, coastal zone management, community development, community health, community organizer, cultural resource management, demographer, economic development specialist, economist, emergency management, environmental law, environmental management, GIS specialist, historian, human services, marketing and market research, historic preservation specialist, housing, housing law, international business, law enforcement, location analyst, medical geographer, museum curator, novelist, policy analysis, politics, program development, public administration, public health, real estate, real estate law, sales manager, social research, social work, sociologist, spatial data analyst, teaching, transportation management, urban anthropologist, urban designer, urban planning, urban renewal, zoning administrator/official

• Cities combine all aspects of societies; studying urbanization is a GREAT introduction to social science.

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What does this course cover?

The course is organized around four “units,” each dealing with a different general theme. Although the course covers some topics pertaining to urban geography around the world, its main focus is on the US. Here is an outline:

1. Introduction to Urbanization

   1. Introduction and Overview

   2. Basic Concepts

2. Urbanization and Urban Systems

   1. Origins and Growth of Urban Systems

   2. The Origins of the US Urban System

   3. The US Urban System Since WW II

3. Physical Form of the City

   1. Early Evolution of North American Urban Form

   2. North American Urban Form in the Mid- to Late-Twentieth Century

   3. The City as Text: Architecture and Urban Design

   4. Production of the Built Environment

4. Urbanism and Urban Life

   1. Residential Differentiation and Segregation

   2. Neighborhood Change

   3. Urbanism and Urban Life

   4. Urban Problems

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What is the textbook for the course?

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What is GIS and how will this course use it?

“GIS” stands for “geographic information system.” This is a category of software that combines database and mapping capabilities.

In past semesters the course has required the use of this software. This has often worked well, and many students have found this to be both a useful skill and enlightening learning exercise. However, with a growing number of different operating systems (Windows XP, Windows Vista, Apple's OS X, Linux, etc.) and very diverse levels of computer expertise among students, teaching the use of this software in an online has become a growing challenge. The instructor is therefore reevaluating the role of GIS in the course, and the structure of the course in the future will reflect this reevaluation.

The GIS software used in the course is called ArcGIS Desktop 9.2, which I will distribute to you for free! Instructions for obtaining the software and getting started with it will be in the course information section of the WebCT web site. Click here to learn more about ArcGIS.

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What else will I need for this course?

Besides the textbook(s) and software, you may want to have a computer. Since you can use computers at your local library or in one of URI's student computing facilities (either in Kingston or Providence) to access WebCT, having access to your own computer is optional.

If you do not have access to your own computer, you will have to use URI's student computing facility in Providence or Kingston to run the GIS software. If you want to run this software on your own computer, you need to be sure it meets the minimum requirements for running ArcGIS. Unfortunately, ArcGIS only works on computers running Windows. It does not run on any of the *nix variants, including Linux and Apple's OS X. However, it may run under Windows on an Apple iMac running both OS X and Windows (I have neither tested this nor heard of anyone tying it). On ordinary Windows computers, the minimum requirements depend on the version of Windows you have. To go to a web site where you can check the minimum requirements for the specific operating system on your computer, click here. Once on the web site, select ArcView as the software product and 9.2 as the version.

Right now, do not worry about having a computer to run the GIS software, since this may become optional. Please see the section above on GIS and how the course will use it.

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How will grades be determined?

Grading will be based on a series of online exams, GIS team projects, and class participation. Approximately every week you will have a very brief quiz of 3-5 questions. You will also have two exams. One will consist of approximately thirty-five multiple choice questions and cover the first half of the course, and the final will consist of approximately seventy multiple-choice questions and cover the entire course. All exams and quizzes will be “open book,” and in total they will count for 40% of your grade. Another 40% will be based on team GIS projects, and the remaining 20% will be based on class participation which will involve substantive contributions to the discussions on WebCT and doing a few homework assignments.

Please note that these requirements are tentative. Sometimes technical or other difficulties may require us to revise the course requirements. Also, I have a policy of inviting students to help design the courses I offer. During the first two weeks of the semester I will entertain any reasonable suggestions for changing the course and will do so if the class agrees. This implies that you and your fellow students may revise this grading scheme.

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Who is the instructor?

My name is Marshall Feldman, although I go by “Marsh.” I received my PhD from UCLA in Urban Planning and Bachelor of Science and Master of Engineering degrees from Cornell University. My areas of specialization are urban and regional economic development, labor geography, urban geography, and urban theory. I am also the Director of Research and Academic Affairs for URI's Center for Urban Studies and Research and a member of the Charles T. Schmidt. Jr. Labor Research Center. I have been teaching at URI since 1987, and before that I taught at the University of California at Berkeley, Cleveland State University, San Francisco State University, the University of California at Santa Cruz, and the University of Texas at Austin while I was growing up. I like sunsets, puppies, and long walks on the beach.

To reach me by email, press . (Note: Your browser must have JavaScript enabled to use this. I use this method because spammers "harvest" unprotected email addresses from web pages.)

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How do I log on to WebCT?

• First, you have to register for this course. If you do not, you will not be able to access the course web site on WebCT.

• Next, go to the URI web page for WebCT, which is at http://www.uri.edu/webct/. On the left you will see several links under “Important Information.”

• Read the latest information under “What do I need.”

• Then select the link to Browser Tune-Up, and follow the instructions to make sure your browser is properly set up to access WebCT. If you are working at a student computer facility, the computer should already be set up properly, although smart alecs sometimes think it is funny to screw up the settings. If you are working at a library or other public setting, you may need to ask someone to do the Browser Tune-Up for you.

• Finally, press “Log In to WebCT” and follow the instructions. (As of this writing, you will have to repeat this on the next screen.) Your login ID is the same spelling as your e-Campus ID in lowercase. This is your chosen e-Campus ID, not the nine-digit ID number. Your password is the same as your email password on mail.uri.edu. If you have not yet changed your password, the default is your birth date in mmddyyyy format. (E.g., if you were born on July 4, 1776, your password would be 07041776.)

• Once you log in, you may see more than one course. Select this one, and you are good to go.

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OK, sign me up. How do I register for the course?

Important: If you sign up for this course, I will contact you shortly before the start of the semester using your “preferred email address” listed on e-Campus. Check to make sure your email address on e-Campus is correct. Otherwise, you may never get the mailing. You can change your “preferred email address” by logging on to e-Campus and choosing this sequence of menu items:

SA self service >

Personal portfolio >

Tasks >

Update email address

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