Admission requirements
This course is only available for students in the BA Urban Studies programme.
Description
This methodological elective introduces students to a comprehensive set of methods for humanities-based research in urban contexts. The course identifies specific urban problems using case studies from cities all over the world and explores how various humanities approaches can be applied in these contexts. The course supplies students with theoretical and methodological knowledge and supports them in putting this into practice using concrete examples. The course starts with some general approaches that are central to research in the humanities, such as formal analyses, interpretation and discourse analysis. The course then explores four essential fields in humanities and urbanism that connect to the main themes of the urban studies programme: environmental humanities, humanities and law, digital humanities and medical humanities. Two sessions are dedicated to each field, exploring a specific theme, method and case study. For the midterm assignment, students will work together on a presentation that showcases a methodological exercise. For the final written assignment, students will write an essay on a chosen case study employing one of the taught methods.
Course objectives
General learning outcomes
See tab Additional information for the overview of the programme's general learning outcomes. In the assessment methods below is outlined which general learning outcome will be tested through which method.
Course objectives, pertaining to this course
After completing this course, students:
have knowledge of the relevance of humanities methods to urban contexts;
are able to employ these methods to critically analyse divergent urban problems in written and non-written form;
have knowledge of a wide range of humanities approaches, general as well as specific;
have insight into a variety of specific urban issues;
have good collaboration and communication skills in working with urban problems;
can carry out independent research working with a variety of materials pertaining to urban matters.
Timetable
The timetables are available through My Timetable.
Mode of instruction
- Tutorial (compulsory attendance)]
This means that students have to attend every tutorial session of the course. If a student is unable to attend a tutorial, they should inform the instructor in advance, providing a valid reason for absence. If they are absent from a tutorial without a valid reason, they can be excluded from the final exam in the course.
Assessment method
Assessment
For the midterm assignment, students will work together on a methodological exercise culminating in a group presentation. For the final written assignment, students will write an essay on a chosen case study employing one of the taught methods.
Weighing
| Partial grade | Weighing |
|---|---|
| Group presentation | 30% |
| Final written assignment | 60% |
| Participation | 10% |
End grade
To successfully complete the course, please take note that the end grade of the course is established by determining the weighted average of all assessment components. To pass the course, the final written assignment needs to be a 6.0 or higher.
Resit
If the end grade is insufficient (lower than 5.5), there is a possibility of retaking the final written exam only. There is no resit for the presentation and participation grades.
If students need to retake any course for a second time, they are required to retake all elements of the course assessment, and may not carry over individual assessment grades from previous years.
Faculty regulations concerning participation in resits are listed in article 4.1 of the Faculty Course and Examination Regulations.
Feedback and inspection
How and when an exam review will take place will be disclosed together with the publication of the exam results at the latest. If a student requests a review within 30 days after publication of the exam results, an exam review will have to be organised.
Reading list
To be announced.
Registration
- Enrolment through My Studymap is mandatory.
General information about course and exam enrolment is available on the website.
Registration Exchange
For the registration of exchange students contact Humanities International Office.
Contact
For substantive questions, contact the lecturer listed in the right information bar.
For questions about enrolment, admission, etc, contact the Education Administration Office: Student Affairs Office for BA Urban Studies.
Remarks
From 2025-2026 it is mandatory to take this course if you want to do the Urban Arts, Culture and Society thesis track. We advise you to take this course if you want to do the Urban History and Development thesis track.