Graduate 600-Level Courses
USP 601 Research
(Credit to be arranged.)
USP 603 Thesis
(Credit to be arranged.)
USP 605 Reading
and Conference
(Credit to be arranged.)
USP 5/607 Community Development/Planning Theory Seminar
USP 607 Seminar
(Credit to be arranged.)
USP 610
Selected Topics
USP 5/610 TOP:
Suburbs and Sprawl
USP 5/610 TOP:
Coll Multiparty Decision Making
USP 513/613 Urban Economic and Spatial Structure (3):
The purpose of this course is to provide an introduction to the economic and
spatial aspects relevant to the field of urban studies. The course provides and
overview of existing theories and empirical evidence relating to urban spatial
and economic relationships. Examines the impact of federal, state, and local
government policies, and changing economic conditions on these relationships.
USP 5/614 History and Theory of Urban Studies (3):Leading thinkers and milestones in the analysis of urban development
and urban life. Complementary theories and models of social sciences.
Postmodern approaches. Visionary and critical responses to the
possibilities of metropolitan life.
Fall 2007 Syllabus
USP 615 Economic Analysis of Public Policy (4):
Introduction to the use of microeconomic analysis in the evaluation of
public policy. Intended for entering graduate students with a limited
background in economics. Develops basic analytic methods and emphasizes
application of the analysis to issues of public policy. Prepares students for
advanced classes that use this type of analysis.
USP 5/616 Cities in the Global Political Economy (3):
USP 5/617 Sociology of Urban Life Advanced Readings (3):
A survey of important theories and empirical research about the social
structure and political dynamics of urban areas. The impacts of globalization
on urban social and political life, the changing nature of community and social
relations within cities and suburbs, and evolving patterns of intergovernmental
cooperation and conflict within metropolitan regions will be analyzed.
USP 630 Research Design (4):
USP 631 Research Utilization and Implementation (3):
Evaluates the consumption and utilization of research by alternative
audiences. An understanding of the concept of expertise and the analytical and
political role of the analyst and analysis. The significance of the dissemination
and evaluation of research processes and products. Prerequisite: admission to
the Ph.D. program in Public Administration and Policy or consent of instructor.
USP 635 Regional Science Theory (3):
This course covers theoretical subjects in the field of regional science
associated with locational and regional development analysis, and analysis
pertaining to regional development planning. Prerequisite: USP 634.
USP 636 Economic and Political Decision Making (3):
This course is designed to show the student the difference between economic
decisions made through a market process reflecting individual preferences, and
the collective or political decisions which attempt to allocate resources for
the production of goods not provided in the marketplace. The technical,
philosophical, and social problems raised by the attempt to provide a rational
framework for making policy decisions in this no market public goods area
constitute the main emphasis of the course. Illustrative applications to public
goods high on the agenda for political decision are used to develop the
theoretical concepts and exemplify the empirical problems inherent in the
process. Prerequisite: USP 515.
USP 5/637
Economic of Urban Transportation (3):
USP 5/654 Data
Analysis II (4):
USP 655 Advanced Data Analysis: Structural Equation Modeling (3):
USP
660 Policy Processes (3):
Focuses on the politics of the policy process. It examines the role,
influence and interaction of legislatures, executives, bureaucracies, courts,
policy communities and citizens. Follows the stages of policy development:
problem definition, agenda setting, budgeting, authorization, implementation
and oversight. Case material is taken from federal, state, and local
governments with special consideration given to the intergovernmental aspects
of the policy process.
USP 661 Policy Analysis: Theoretical Foundations (3):
Theories and ideologies of modern age that guide and constrain policy
formation, administration and evaluation. Of particular concern is the
understanding of the concepts of individualism, collectivism and community
developed by the philosophers and social and behavioral scientists of this
period.
USP 662 Policy Implementation (3):
Critical analysis of how policies are implemented. Examination of different
theoretical and practical approaches to studying policy implementation.
Emphasis on case studies of the implementation of current policy initiatives,
including identification of policy goals, actors in the policy process,
intergovernmental relations and conflicts, revision processes, enforcement
issues, and the role of bureaucracy. Examination of how various stakeholders
and actors in the policy process can have an impact on the implementation
process.
USP 663 Program Evaluation (3):
This course is designed as a graduate introduction to the field of
evaluation research and program evaluation. Topics covered include contemporary
and emerging theoretical perspectives on evaluation research, experimental and
quasi-experimental design, internal and external validity and reliability,
measurement, analysis of change, ethical issues in evaluation, and
administration of program evaluation.
USP 664 Organizational Theory and Behavior (3):
The first part of this seminar is dedicated to a review of the major
theories of how we should organize ourselves to work together. The goal is to
gain an understanding of organizational thought; what we used to think and why
and what we now think and why. The second part is focused on the theory and
practice of organizational development, the most contemporary and perhaps most
promising movements in this field. Prerequisite: admission to the doctoral
programs in the School
of Urban and Public
Affairs.
USP 666 National Urban Policy (3):
Examination of the federal government's involvement with urban issues from a
historical and political perspective. Focus on policies pertaining to social
welfare and economic development, with an overview of other policy arenas such
as housing, health, and education. Critical analysis of how and why the federal
government responds to urban crises with national policy initiatives and how
changes in political regime correspond with changes in policy emphases and
perspectives.
USP 667 Urban Housing Policies (3):
Review of the history and the role of public policy in the housing sector.
Study of past and current trends in the delivery of housing services in urban
areas. The basic philosophies related to the supply of housing are analyzed and
examined relative to current trends in the delivery of housing services in
urban areas. Critical review of the role of the federal government and the
construction industry. Equal attention to the role of public housing and the
impact of urban renewal. Active participation in discussion and a research
paper are required.
USP 668 National Long-term Care Policy (3):
This course examines the need for long-term care services and the risk
factors associated with utilization of them as well as familiarizing students
with the financing and delivery mechanisms in long-term care, both public and
private. The policy issues in current long-term care initiatives are explored.
An analysis of transportation and land use interactions in urban areas. The
impact of highway and transit changes on travel behavior and locational
decisions are examined. Prerequisites: USP 515 and 544.
Spring
2006 Syllabus
USP 671 Environmental Policy (3):
Surveys federal, state, and international environmental policy-making with
an emphasis on process design. Political and technical objectives for policy,
the roles and responsibilities of institutions, federal-state tensions,
representation and analysis of stakeholding interests, the role of the media,
and environmental justice are key elements. Topical areas include issues
concerning resource management as well as pollution prevention. Current Syllabus
USP 672 Regional Economics Development (3):
This course focuses on methods of analyzing why regions differ economically,
how they interrelate, and why and how they react to changes in economic
policies and conditions. Part of the course will be devoted to a study of
models of regional structure and growth, such as economic base or input-output,
and the strengths and weaknesses of each in modeling the regional economy. The
remainder of the course will be concerned with the development of models for
use in regional forecasting and/or evaluation of policy changes on regional
development. Prerequisite: USP 515
Syllabus
USP 673 Housing Economics (3):
Looks at the economics of real estate and housing, including land rent,
interest rates, apartment rents, and housing prices, using an economic
framework. Basic concepts in urban economics such as land rents, externalities,
and public goods are reviewed. Explores the technique most commonly used in
real estate and housing economics: hedonic pricing. Explores the rationale and
impact of government intervention in the private real estate market.
USP 674 Spatial Analysis (3):
The use of geographically coded data to identify and anticipate future
patterns of human activity in metropolitan areas and systems of cities.
Emphasizes techniques to establish whether the characteristic landscapes
associated with static and dynamic models of behavior are present. Diffusion
processes, expanded location theories, and models of decision making from
spatially arrayed cues receive particular attention. Prerequisite: USP 532.
USP 676 Activity Location (3):
The location of human activities in urban systems. Location of economic
activities where profit maximization is desired, and location decisions with
equity maxima. Prerequisite: USP 519.
USP 677 Urban Environmental Management (3):
An accelerated survey of principles, concepts, and techniques employed in
the management of urban environmental problems, with particular emphasis to
"best practice" and emerging ideas. Selected topics may include:
watershed stewardship, brownfield development, green spaces, protection or
urban wildlife, stormwater management, urban agriculture, residential toxics.
USP 678 Impact Assessment (3):
Empirical techniques employed in measuring the impacts associated with land
use change. Topics: goals achievement matrix approaches to impact assessment,
trade-offs between community and regional welfare, distance and time in urban
analysis, estimating the social profitability of land development, cost-benefit
analysis applied to freeway location, techniques for valuation of nonpriced
resources, measuring municipal revenue and expenditure impacts, gravity models
and transport demand estimation, economic base analysis for employment and
population impact assessment, estimating air and noise pollution associated
with land development. Prerequisite: USP 515.
USP 681 Environmental Psychology (3):
Examination of the relationship between people and their physical
environments. Specific topics include human spatial behavior (personal space
and territoriality), the contribution of the behavioral sciences to
architectural and urban design, community and neighboring in the city, and
environmental cognition. USP 518 recommended. Syllabus
USP 682 Poverty, Welfare, and Income Distribution (3):
Looks at the problem of poverty in the United States and the various
programs designed to alleviate or reduce the level of poverty. Looks at the
measurement of the poverty level, the competing theories of poverty, and the
related problems of racial discrimination. Looks at the rationale behind our
anti-poverty programs and assesses how well those programs are meeting their
intended goals.
USP 683 Urban Stress (3):
The city as a source of stress; physiological and psychological response to
stress; processes of adaptation. Among the sources of stress considered will be
density, noise, spatial mobility. Impact of stressors on mental and physical
health; techniques of assessing stress; social means of reducing stress. USP
528 recommended.
USP 684
Negotiations in the Public Sector (3)
Overview of the conventional and innovative applications of negotiations in
public sector activities and the potential and limitations of negotiation based
approaches to public decision making. Key components include negotiation theory
individual skill development and a review of the institutional legal and
political context of negotiations.
USP 686 Urban Social Networks (3):
Analysis of the social psychological and anthropological literature on
social networks: the structure and content of interpersonal networks (including
kinship, friendship, instrumental) in an urban setting. Specific topics will
include: the nature of interpersonal ties in the city, urban migration and
networks, access to urban resources, methods of analyzing personal and group
networks. Prerequisite: USP 517 or 518. Syllabus
2007
USP 687 Perspectives on Aging (3):
An introduction to the field of gerontology is presented from the
perspectives offered by multiple disciplines, including sociology, psychology,
biology, economics, political science, and demography. Stereotypes of aging and
theoretical frameworks for understanding aging are examined, as are normal
age-related changes, the impact of social, political, and economic conditions
on the process of aging, and the myriad consequences of a growing population of
elders.
USP 688 Sustainable Development Practices: (3)
Introduction to analytic and management approaches intended to limit the
social and environmental harms associated with most past patterns of
development. Builds upon basic understanding of socio-environmental change and
provides a foundation for subsequent in dept studies of particular sustainable
development strategies and analytic techniques. Students study a broader range
of sustainable development topics, tools and techniques USP 689 Advanced Urban Politics and Sociology (3):
This is an advanced readings seminar focusing on the
literature and emerging theoretical and methodological debates in the fields of
urban sociology and political science. This course is intended as an intensive seminar
for graduate students seeking both greater familiarity and involvement with the
literature and discourse in these fields.
USP 691 Current Research in Regional Science (3):
Focused reading and advanced student research on emerging topics and issues
in the field of regional science. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
USP 692 Current Research in Policy Analysis (3):
Focused reading and advanced student research on emerging topics and issues
in the field of policy analysis. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
USP 693 Current Research in Urban and Regional Structure (3):
Focused reading and advanced student research on emerging topics and issues
in the field of urban and regional structure. Prerequisite: Consent of
instructor.
USP 696 Theory of Urban Form (3):
Seminar which addresses itself to two basic questions: what forces determine
urban form and, how do these forces interact. Urban form in this seminar is
interpreted as more than just physical form-it includes political, social,
economic, cultural, etc., individually and combined. Participants prepare and
present a major research paper on subjects of theoretical relevance to urban
form.
USP 5/697 Urban Studies Seminar (4): Research seminar required for second-year students in the urban studies
Ph.D. and M.U.S. programs. Students apply their substantive background
and methodological training to develop all the components of a social
science research paper: statement of focused research question,
literature review, development of hypotheses, definition of appropriate
methodology, design of data acquisition, and pilot testing of data
acquisition strategy. Prerequisites: USP 530, USP 513/613, USP 514/614,
USP 517/617.
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