Overview
Anthropology 394: City Living: The Anthropology of Urban Life is a senior-level anthropology course designed to provide the student with an extensive overview of urban settlements, from their first appearance some five thousand years ago (or arguably older) to the cities of today. Students will gain a comprehensive knowledge of the development of cities, the diversity of urban groups, and various urban social and cultural issues—as well as an understanding of the theoretical and methodological approaches taken by anthropologists and other social scientists in the study of cities and city life.
Outline
ANTH 394 is divided into an introduction and four units, each of which examines a specific topic in urban studies.
- Introduction: The Development of Urban Anthropology
- Unit 1: Understanding the City: Its Evolution
- Unit 2: Disciplinary Perspectives
- Unit 3: The Structure of the City
- Unit 4: Global Urban Developments
Learning outcomes
After completing ANTH 394 you should be able to:
- Explain the development of theoretical interests in the city and question theoretical approaches to understanding urban problems.
- Debate the ways in which sociocultural, political, and economic processes shape and are shaped by the lifeways and built environments of cities.
- Design and apply an anthropological approach to the study and analysis of a local urban setting or event and associated issues of culture.
- Assemble and examine resources pertaining to topics in urban anthropological ethnography and urban studies in general.
- Value how the field of urban anthropology and its related disciplines are relevant to broader questions about the human condition, particularly through both historical and cross-cultural perspectives of the city.
Evaluation
To receive credit for ANTH 394, you must complete five discussion questions, two quizzes, a mini fieldwork assignment, a research paper outline, a research paper, and write a final examination. Your final grade is determined by a weighted average of the grades you receive on these assignments. To receive credit for this course, you must achieve a minimum of D (50 percent) on the final examination, and an overall grade of D (50 percent) for the entire course. All work must be submitted or completed by the end of your course contract date.
| Activity | Weight |
| Discussion Questions 1 to 5 | 5% |
| Quiz 1 | 10% |
| Quiz 2 | 10% |
| Assignment 1: Mini Fieldwork Project | 20% |
| Assignment 2A: Research Paper Outline | 5% |
| Assignment 2B: Research Paper | 20% |
| Final Exam | 30% |
| Total | 100% |
The final examination for this course must be requested in advance and written under the supervision of an AU-approved exam invigilator. Invigilators include either ProctorU or an approved in-person invigilation centre that can accommodate online exams. Students are responsible for payment of any invigilation fees. Information on exam request deadlines, invigilators, and other exam-related questions, can be found at the Exams and grades section of the Calendar.
To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University’s online Calendar.
Materials
Digital course materials
Links to the following course materials will be made available in the course:
Macionis, John J., and Vincent N. Parrillo. Cities and Urban Life. 7th edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, 2017.
Other materials
All other materials are available online. This includes required readings, viewings, and listenings primarily from the disciplines of urban anthropology, anthropological archaeology, linguistic anthropology, history, and cultural geography.
Challenge for credit
Overview
The challenge for credit process allows you to demonstrate that you have acquired a command of the general subject matter, knowledge, intellectual and/or other skills that would normally be found in a university-level course.
Full information about challenge for credit can be found in the Undergraduate Calendar.
Evaluation
To receive credit for the ANTH 394 challenge registration students must complete a 3-hour invigilated Challenge exam and receive at least a D (50 percent).
Challenge for credit course registration form