Undergraduate Course: Global Cities: Seoul and comparative perspectives (ASST10156)
Course Outline
| School | School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course aims to introduce students to international urban studies with a focus on cities in South Korea such as Seoul, Busan, and Incheon, as well as other global cities in comparative perspective. While global cities share common features such as the presence of multinational corporations, international financial services, and multicultural societies, among others, each city is also shaped by its own history, culture and the broader geophysical and geopolitical environments. The course starts with the debates on the origins of global cities, before moving on to introducing various theoretical approaches to the study of cities and urbanisation. The course explores factors driving urban growth and discusses how economic growth affects the urban environment. The course also examines questions of urban culture, social organisations, hybrid and multi-level governance, urban planning, and the future of the city. |
| Course description |
Globalisation has led to greater interconnectedness, but also greater inequality and polarisation.
Over half of the world's population lives in cities. The need for academic research of changing urban lives is growing rapidly. Old metropolises have morphed into global cities. The courses uses the case of global cities to reflect on those broad issues. These in turn have become dynamic sites of artistic and scientific creativity, melting pots of ethnic and cultural diversity. Larger cities are competing with regions and states to be attractive economic hubs and new forms of multilevel governance are taking shape. The course explores urban politics, policy and planning focusing on Korea's capital city Seoul and, comparatively, on other global cities Korea and East Asia.
This course examines how globalisation shapes processes of social, cultural, economic, and political transformations in contemporary cities. Taking the city of Seoul as its main vantage point issues discussed include the origins of global cities; transportation and access; housing and land; city poverty and gentrification; labour migration and multicultural society; environment, health, and sustainability.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2019/20, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 8 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 22,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
174 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Mid-term assignment 30% (800 words)
Students can choose one type of assignment from various options of assignments, including video essays (2-3 group work possible), policy briefs, book reviews, blogs, Wikipedia entries (2-3 group work possible), podcasts (2-3 group work possible), contrast two journal articles or editorials.
Essays 70% (3000 words)
Marking criteria for essays:
Honours Class Mark (%) Grade
1st 90-100 Excellent
1st 80-89 Excellent
1st 70-79 Excellent
2.1 60-69 Very Good
2.2 50-59 Performance at a level showing the potential to achieve at least a lower second class honours degree
3rd 40-49 Pass, may not be sufficient for progression to an honours programme
Fail 30-39 Marginal Fail
Fail 20-29 Clear Fail
Fail 10-19 Bad Fail
Fail 0-9 Bad Fail
Marking criteria for mid-term assignments:
Relevance to question
Organisation and structure
Time/ space management
Clarity and engagement with the audience/ readers
Sound understanding of the topic
creativity
Adequacy of research
Adequacy of analysis
Clear and sound argument
Effective use of evidence
Range of sources used
Originality
scaled by Outstanding 80-100, Very good 70-79, Good 60-69, Adequate 50-59, Weak 40-49, Poor 30-39, Fail 0-29
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| Feedback |
*formative assessment with associated feedback for the final paper by week 7 |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- identify and discuss different processes of urban changes such as urbanization, history, politics, economy, city planning, culture, geography, sustainable development, and social change.
- explain the roles of urban planners and designers in improving urban areas.
- identify the factors that help to shape city growth, as well as decline, in a historical context.
- explain the various functions of cities and the global economy and to know the different groups that inhabit cities.
- explain the forms of urban inequality both within cities and between them.
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Reading List
Essential:
Sassen, S. (1992) The Global City: New York, London, Tokyo, Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Latham, R. and Sassen S. Eds. (2005) Digital Formations: IT and New Architectures in the Global Realm, Princeton: Princeton University Press.
UN-HABITAT. (2009) Global Report on Human Settlements 2009: Planning Sustainable Cities, Abridged Edition, London: Earthscan.
Kim, Youngmi (2018) Mandalay, Myanmar: The remaking of a South-East Asian hub in a country at the crossroads, Cities - International Journal of Urban Studies, 72: 274-286.
Rao, V. (2012) Slum as Theory: Mega-Cities and Urban Models, In Cairns, S., Crysler, G., and Heymen, H. Eds., The Sage Handbook of Architectural Theory, New York: Sage Publication, 671-686.
Recommended:
Brenner, N. and Keil, R. Eds. (2006) The Global Cities Reader, London: Routledge.
Sassen, S. Ed. (2002) Global Networks, Linked Cities, London: Routledge.
UN-HABITAT. (2008) State of the World's Cities 2008/2009, Harmonious Cities, London: Earthscan.
Neuwirth, R. (2006) Shadow Cities: A Billion Squatters, A New Urban World, New York: Routledge.
Bryson, J. and Wyckoff, W. (2010) Rural gentrification and nature in the Old and New Wests, Journal of Cultural Geography 27(1): 53-75.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
*Think critically and produce undergraduate-level work meeting deadlines.
*Work independently, seeking relevant advice and support when necessary.
*Explain, interpret, and use scholarly resources.
*Gain global perspectives on the subject.
*Engage with current critical issues and debates related to the topics.
*Work on digital product development with confidence.
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| Keywords | global cities,housing and land,city poverty and gentrification,migration,environment,sustainability |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Youngmi Kim
Tel: (0131 6)51 1363
Email: youngmi.kim@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mrs Vivien MacNish Porter
Tel: (0131 6)50 3528
Email: vivien.macnish-porter@ed.ac.uk |
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