SOCI 332: The Urban World

SOCI 332-002: The Urban World
(Fall 2026)

04:30 PM to 07:10 PM W

Nguyen Engineering Building 1109

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Section Information for Fall 2026

We are living in an increasingly urban world. And, at the same time, cities – like Los Angeles, Minneapolis, and Washington, DC – have come under attack for a variety of reasons. What is it about cities? What is a city? What makes city life different than living elsewhere? We will start with classical urban sociology and turn to significant urban changes in the 20th and 21st centuries and to the challenges cities confront and solve in innovative ways. While we will talk about many cities during this course, we will focus specifically on Washington, DC. DC is a global city, headquarters of the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the Washington Consensus. It also is a central hub in mass protest movements, the arts, Pan-Africanism, historic preservation, gentrification, and more. The course will involve lectures, lots of discussions, and several self-scheduled visits to specific neighborhoods in Washington, DC. Get to know DC and the urban world in an exciting way!

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Course Information from the University Catalog

Credits: 3

Examines cities and the people who live in them in the United States and around the world. Includes topics such as: social and economic development, inequality, political protests, urban democracy, and the environment. Offered by Sociology & Anthropology. Limited to three attempts.
Mason Core: Mason Core, Global Contexts, Global Understanding
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.

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