Announcing LSE Summer School Courses taught by the Cities Research Cluster Staff
Several members of the Cities Research Cluster staff are to teach urban courses as part of LSE’s summer school programmes in London, Cape Town and Beijing. A brief outline of each course is presented below. You can find out more about the application details by following the link provided under each course.
IR203: An Urbanising World: The Future of Global Cities
LSE Summer School, London
20 June – 8 July 2016
Taught by Hyun Bang Shin and Austin Zeiderman
Urbanisation is one of the most crucial processes of change in the world today. It is also one of the most hotly debated topics across the social sciences. The course begins with exploring the concept of the ‘urban’ in urban studies literature by examining what urbanisation means to the governments, businesses and people whose lives are affected by changes to the built environment of cities and to the ecosystems that support them. It moves on to consider urban contestations over policy, planning and development among a wide range of stakeholders, from real estate developers to social movements to international NGOs. This interactive course will draw on examples of urban policy and planning practices from both the global North and the South, with emphasis on Asia, Latin America and the North Atlantic. It will also include a field visit to central London. Learn more about the course here.
LCS-GY201: Urban Development in Africa
LSE-University of Cape Town Summer School, Cape Town
27 June – 8 July 2016
Taught by Ryan Centner, Gareth Jones, Shari Day
This course explores the challenges and opportunities of African urban develpment, engaging intensively with sites in Cape Town while also drawing on lessons from other African cities within and beyond South Africa. In order to understand contemporary urban issues, we critically examine histories of development and inequaity, and contemporary dynamics of making, transforming, and managing cities. Through the work of major urban theorists and researchers, as well as and 4-5 fieldtrips, we explore some of the many economic activities and social relations through which cities are constituted. Overall, the course aims to develop critical comparative thinking about urban processes on the African continent. Learn more about the course here.
LPS-GY201: Speculative Urbanisation in Asia
LSE-Peking University Summer School, Beijing
8 – 19 August 2016
Taught by Hyun Bang Shin
The course explores the contemporary dynamics of urbanisation in Asia, with special emphasis on cities in China and other East and Southeast Asian economies, which share the experiences of rapid urban development with strong state intervention in the context of condensed industrialisation. The course will benefit from the geographical advantage of taking place in Beijing and make use of a number of China case studies to examine the differences as well as similarities of urban development between Chinese and other Asian cities. Learn more about the course here.
What did you study on the LSE-PKU Summer School? I did the course “Urban Asia and China: Cities, Society and Development” with Dr. Shin. We studied the impact of urban renewal process on Chinese cities, mega-events and their legacies, as well as the historic preservation issues and debates in current day China. I chose this course because it helped me to develop writing and research skills, and the fieldwork we did in one of the historic neighbourhoods in Beijing provided me with hands-on experience on many topics we discussed in class.
World-class LSE teaching
LSE Geography and Environment excels in the UK’s nationwide assessment of research quality, impact and environment and in subject-based worldwide university ranking systems. The Research Excellence Framework results published in December 2014 show that LSE Geography and Environment ranked first overall in the UK for quality of published research output.
The 2015 QS World University faculty rankings for Geography and Area Studies ranked the department No.2 in the world on the overall score, and No.1 for academic reputation. The Guardian’s university league tables 2016 also ranked the LSE No.1 for Geography and Environmental Studies.
