Website:
https://dppa.camden.rutgers.edu/degrees/urban-studies
Program Director: Zachary D. Wood, Assistant Teaching Professor, Department of Public Policy and Administration (DPPA)
Urban Studies Faculty:
Brandi Blessett, Assistant Professor, DPPA
Melanie Bowers, Assistant Professor, Political Science
Stephen Danley, Assistant Professor, DPPA
Maureen Donaghy, Assistant Professor, Political Science
Lorraine C. Minnite, Associate Professor, DPPA
Beth Rabinowitz, Assistant Professor, Political Science
Zachary D. Wood, Assistant Teaching Professor, DPPA
Adjunct Faculty:
Gayle Christensen, M.C.P., Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Angel Osorio, J.D., La Verne
Michael Schwebel, Ph.D., Temple
Natasha O. Fletcher, Ph.D., Rutgers
The program in urban studies offers a diverse curriculum that focuses on urban history, politics, planning, economics, and demography and addresses a wide range of contemporary issues affecting cities around the world. As urban populations grow, so do the challenges. Whether studying the impact of global economic crises or natural disasters, urban studies majors learn about complex issues that prepare them to be problem solvers.
Students study cities and how they function, grow, and prosper or decline. The program is interdisciplinary; to fulfill the major, students take courses in other departments, such as criminal justice, sociology, political science, and history, as well. Urban studies courses cover topics such as how cities are planned, population trends, and policy issues related to housing, sustainability, and environmental justice. Students develop a range of skills including how to conduct community-based participatory action research, policy analysis, and the use of geographic information systems (computer mapping) to facilitate community engagement. Some courses provide field experience and community engagement appropriate for preprofessionals.
