MA Elective

Global Urban Studies is a new MA Elective at the Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies. It consists of three modules that can be taken separately or together as a 30 ECTS package. The modules are presented either as regular courses or as summer schools.

Through research-based teaching and innovative learning processes, the student of Global Urban Studies focuses on the study of urban societies throughout the world from a comparative and cross-cultural perspective, acquiring knowledge of how cities shape and are shaped by people, and how cities and urban spaces are negotiated, organized, used, and ascribed cultural meaning.

Courses that are based on regional and cross-regional case studies or on global themes such as Global Urban Studies (MA-level, 15 ECTS) and Specialized Urban Topic (MA-level, 7.5 ECTS). Courses based on practice and applied research, such as the summer schools on Urban Culture in Theory and Action (BA and MA-levels, 15 ECTS) and Cultural Production and Urban Space (BA and MA-levels, 7.5 ECTS) train students in creative processes and business- and/or society-aimed competences. Together, the courses and summer schools nurture the students' ability to study, analyze, and communicate phenomena and processes in the social, cultural, economic, and political lives of cities, as well as to critically reflect on the dynamics of cities. 

Working with relevant concepts, theories, and methods from urban studies, the student will become able to define and obtain an active role in the development of cities. The student develops competences in communicating, to the public, private, and third sectors, sustainable solutions to central issues and innovative ideas towards the fulfilment of a city’s potentials.

Finally, the student trains his/her capacity to independently conceive and present projects that make humanistic and interdisciplinary theories of the city operational within public institutions, international organizations, private businesses, independent institutions and NGOs engaged in development and change in cities. Training in idea- and project-development further qualifies the student to work with entrepreneurship and social innovation.