GV3REP-Representing the City

Module Provider: Geography and Environmental Science
Number of credits: 20 [10 ECTS credits]
Level:6
Terms in which taught: Spring term module
Pre-requisites:
Non-modular pre-requisites:
Co-requisites:
Modules excluded:
Current from: 2021/2

Module Convenor: Prof Steve Musson
Email: s.musson@reading.ac.uk

Type of module:

Summary module description:

What does it mean to live in a city? How is the experience of city life and our understanding of urbanisation celebrated in our cultures? How are cities represented in art and culture? In this module, we will consider these questions and explore what a city is and what it means, through the lens of popular culture. Students will encounter cities in the Global North though forms such as literature, art, music and film and be encouraged to discuss favourite examples based on their own experience, as well as seeking out less familiar material. They will critically interpret these representations using academic concepts and theories from Human Geography and other areas of the social sciences.

Aims:

The module aims to introduce students to contemporary scholarship on cities and to encourage them to critically engage with urban theory. The module also aims to encourage students to think critically about the ways cities in the Global North are represented in popular culture and to make connection between urban theory and popular culture. This interplay between theory and representation and the contextualised and critical knowledge that results is central to the aims of the module.

Assessable learning outcomes:

By the end of the module it is expected that students will be able to:

• Identify some of the main theories and concepts that are used to frame contemporary cities in the Global North;


• Critically discuss the contribution of leading scholars to contemporary understandings of the cities;


• Demonstrate their understanding of contemporary theories and concepts through their own writing;


• Identify a range of popular cultur e representations of cities in the Global North, based on their own prior knowledge and tastes and by encountering less familiar examples;

Critically interpret popular culture representations of cities using contemporary theories and concepts of cities in the Global North.

Additional outcomes:

Outline content:

The lecture course will introduce students to political, cultural, social and economic understandings of city life in the Global North. Key themes will include the images, discourses and cultural metaphors through which cities are represented. Students will encounter the changing nature of city life in the Global North over the last 50 years, including the decline and rediscovery of the city as a cultural setting and as a spatial context in Human Geography research. The seminars will focus on a different representation of the city in popular culture each week. This includes popular music, literature, film and television and art. Consideration will also be given to the spatial nature of this popular culture, for example through the emergence of local art scenes.

Brief description of teaching and learning methods:

The module comprises a weekly two-hour lecture, followed by a smaller group seminar.

Contact hours:

	Autumn	Spring	Summer
Lectures		20
Seminars		10
Guided independent study:
Wider reading (independent)		30
Wider reading (directed)		30
Exam revision/preparation		20
Preparation for seminars		20
Essay preparation		30
Reflection		40
Total hours by term	0		0
Total hours for module	200

Summative Assessment Methods:

Method	Percentage
Written exam	50
Written assignment including essay	50

Summative assessment- Examinations:

Two hour examination.

Summative assessment- Coursework and in-class tests:

One coursework essay, 2000 words in length, choice of questions and submission date to be confirmed in module handbook.

Formative assessment methods:

The weekly seminars will include in-class tasks and activities which will provide opportunities to check learning and receive feedback. The module will include dedicated coursework and examination workshops, where students can develop and discuss their ideas and gain feedback from peer groups and teaching staff on the module.

Penalties for late submission:

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of five working days;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than five working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: http://www.reading.ac.uk/web/FILES/qualitysupport/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf
You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Assessment requirements for a pass:

A mark of 40% overall.

Reassessment arrangements:

Re-submission of coursework components during the following assessment period.

Additional Costs (specified where applicable):

Last updated: 8 April 2021