Instructor Insights

Instructor Insights pages are part of the OCW Educator initiative, which seeks to enhance the value of OCW for educators.

Course Overview

This page focuses on the course 11.469 Urban Sociology in Theory and Practice as it was taught by Assistant Professor Justin Steil and Teaching Assistant Aditi Mehta in Spring 2016.

This course introduces students to core writings in the field of urban sociology, and explores the nature and changing character of the city and the urban experience in the U.S. and abroad. Topics include the changing conceptions of “community,” the effects of neighborhood characteristics on individual outcomes, the significance of social capital and networks, the drivers of categorical inequality, and the interaction of social structure and political power. This class is comprised of students from MIT and from the Boston University Metropolitan College Prison Education Program, and took place at the Massachusetts Correctional Institution in Norfolk.

Course Outcomes

Course Goals for Students

The course has two primary goals:

  1. To give students a more critical appreciation of the contemporary, comparative, and historical contexts in which planning skills and sensibilities have been developed and are applied.
  2. To offer a “sociology of knowledge” approach to the field of urban sociology.
 

Instructor Insights

The material in this course was challenging and the workload demanding.  We did not see a difference in the capabilities or dedication of MIT and BU students.  In classroom discussions, both groups of students shined.  Because the MIT grad students had more practice writing, we spent more time editing BU papers, but the analysis, arguments, and thoughts were equally impressive among both groups.  The experience reinforced the idea that everyone is capable of learning and contributing successfully if given the right opportunities.

— Justin Steil and Aditi Mehta

Below, Assistant Professor Justin Steil and Teaching Assistant Aditi Mehta describe various aspects of how they taught 11.469 Urban Sociology in Theory and Practice.

 

Curriculum Information

Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites for this course. Permission of the instructor is required.

Requirements Satisfied

None

Offered

Offered on a variable schedule.

The Classroom

Seminars took place in the Massachusetts Correctional Institution in Norfolk with half of the class from MIT and half of the class from MCI Norfolk. The location and composition of the class was chosen based on the belief that bringing together students of sociology and urban studies who are incarcerated with those who are at MIT will create a unique and valuable environment in which to generate new knowledge about our social world and the repeated mechanisms that contribute to persistent socio-economic inequality and other pressing social problems. Participation in the course involved a commitment to a new type of learning environment.

 

Assessment

Grade Breakdown

The students' grades were based on the following activities:

The color used on the preceding chart which represents the percentage of the total grade contributed by in-class participation. 20% In-class participation
The color used on the preceding chart which represents the percentage of the total grade contributed by reflection paper on the learning experience. 15% Reflection paper on the learning experience

Student Information

23 students took this course when it was taught in Spring 2016.

Breakdown by Year

Undergraduate and graduate students

Breakdown by Major

MIT students were pursuing graduate degrees in city planning and urban studies and planning.

Boston University Metropolitan College students had received or were pursuing bachelor’s degrees in urban studies and sociology.

 

How Student Time Was Spent

During an average week, students were expected to spend 12 hours on the course, roughly divided as follows:

Seminar

3 hours per week
  • Met 1 time per week for 3 hours, 13 sessions total.
  • Seminars included Socratic discussions, student presentations, and brief lectures about the assigned readings and study questions.
 

Out of Class

9 hours per week
  • Weekly response papers
  • Preparation for team presentation of an ethnography
  • Reflection paper on the learning experience
  • Term paper or research proposal
 

Semester Breakdown

WEEK M T W Th F
1 No classes throughout MIT. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. Seminar at MCI Norfolk scheduled.
2 No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. Seminar at MCI Norfolk scheduled.
3 No classes throughout MIT. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. Seminar at MCI Norfolk scheduled.
4 No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. Seminar at MCI Norfolk scheduled.
5 No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. Seminar at MCI Norfolk and group presentations scheduled.
6 No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. Seminar at MCI Norfolk scheduled.
7 No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled, but assignment due. Seminar at MCI Norfolk scheduled.
8 No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT.
9 No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled, but assignment due. No session scheduled. Seminar at MCI Norfolk scheduled.
10 No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. Seminar at MCI Norfolk scheduled.
11 No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. Seminar at MCI Norfolk scheduled.
12 No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. Seminar at MCI Norfolk scheduled.
13 No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. Seminar at MCI Norfolk scheduled.
14 No session scheduled. No session scheduled, but assignment due. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. Seminar at MCI Norfolk scheduled.
15 No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No classes throughout MIT.
16 No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT.
Displays the color and pattern used on the preceding table to indicate dates when classes are not held at MIT. No classes throughout MIT
Displays the color used on the preceding table to indicate dates when seminars at MCI Norfolk are held. Seminars at MCI Norfolk
Displays the symbol used on the preceding table to indicate group presentations are held. Group presentations
Displays the color used on the preceding table to indicate dates when no class session is scheduled. No class session scheduled
Displays the symbol used on the preceding table to indicate due dates. Due dates