Admission requirements
This course is only available for students in the BA Urban Studies programme.
Description
The elective Crime, Criminalisation and the Right to the City builds on the introductory knowledge acquired during the course The Safe City Lecture Series. Safety is increasingly recognized as an essential element to the (economic) functioning of cities, as well as citizen/personal well-being. For these reasons, city officials are inclined to safeguard their cities from crime and prevent their citizens from feeling unsafe. One result is that an increasing number of practices in city spaces are approached as matters of - and threats to - safety and security, and are ‘criminalized’ through intensified management, surveillance and policing of urban (semi)public space. Beyond the possible beneficial effects that such practices may realise (crime reduction; increased perceived safety), this course is also and explicitly concerned with questions of legitimacy, fairness and (in)equality related to these practices. During the course you will study, situate, discuss and evaluate effects on (perceived) safety that a variety of management, surveillance and policing strategies realise, and place these in relation to citizens’ principal right to the city. This right entails a city for all to use (public space) and the right to think about and participate in (social) change taking place in the city. In a nutshell, then, the current course discusses the (sometime ambiguous) balance between citizens’ ‘right to protection and/or safety’ and citizens’ ‘right to the city’.
The course, and the topics introduced above, are taught using a tutorial format. During the tutorials, which can have a plenary introduction, students apply acquired knowledge by working on assignments, doing city walks/observations, engaging in group discussions, etc. in an interactive setting.
This is the Safe City Thematic Elective.
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
- Identify and reproduce key questions, topics, concepts and theories, part of the urban criminological field of study, relating to the management, surveillance and policing of urban public space as a means to reduce crime and increase (perceived) safety.
- Critically evaluate (intended and unintended) consequences of management, surveillance and policing practices in urban areas.
- Recognise and apply key questions, topics, concepts and theories, part of the urban criminological field of study, in an actual city context by performing fieldwork in research groups. Analyse, and use visual methods to report findings.
- Plan and schedule her/his study: organise and use relatively large amounts of information.
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 lecturer in advance, providing a valid reason for absence. The teacher will determine if and how the missed session can be compensated by an additional assignment. If they are absent from a tutorial without a valid reason, they can be excluded from the final exam in the course.
Assessment method
Assesment:
Book review (1500-2500 words)
-measured programme's general learning outcomes: 1, 4-6, 8, 11, 13-14, 17, 19, 20, 23-26
-measured course specific objectives: 1-5Student film
-measured programme's general learning outcomes: 1, 4-6, 10, 11, 13, 14, 17, 19-21, 23-26
-measured course specific objectives: 1-5
Weighing
| Partial grade | Weighing |
|---|---|
| Book review | 50% |
| Student research film | 50% |
End grade
The end grade of the course is established by determining the weighted average of the assessment components (Book review; Student research film).
This weighted average needs to be 5.50 or higher.
Resit
Students who have been active participants in class and submitted their assignments on time, but scored an overall insuffient mark, are entitled to a resit. For the resit, the students are given a chance to hand in a new version of their failed assignments. The deadline for resubmission is to be consulted with the lecturer.
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.
Inspection and feedback
How and when an exam review will take place will be disclosed together with the publication of the final 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
- Minton, A. (2012). Ground Control: Fear and Happiness in the twenty-first-century city. Penguin UK.
Supplementary articles/booksections will be listed on Brightspace.
During the course, students will also have to self identify, read and critically evaluate additional (secondary) literature and apply key insights from these resources in their assignments.
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
You may only sign up for one thematic and one methodological elective in each semester of the second year (via MyStudyMap). Only if there is place left, you can take up a second Thematic and/or Methodological elective. A week before the start of the semester, you will receive an email from the administration which will indicate if any spots are still available. If this is the case, you can enroll by replying to this message. If more students show interest in a second elective than the number of places available, students will be selected via a lottery.