GY441 Half Unit
The Politics of Housing
This information is for the 2020/21 session.
Teacher responsible
Dr Romola Sanyal
Availability
This course is available on the MSc in City Design and Social Science, MSc in Regional And Urban Planning Studies, MSc in Urban Policy (LSE and Sciences Po) and MSc in Urbanisation and Development. This course is available as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit.
Course content
The aim of this course is to examine the politics of housing from a transnational and comparative perspective. The course will link the empirical analyses on housing to theoretical discussions on class, community, gender, ethnicity and design. It will analyse housing issues ranging from informality, homelessness and gated communities to housing tenure, architectural design and housing as a humanitarian tool. This is an interdisciplinary course, drawing upon debates in fields such as Architecture, Urban Planning, Geography, Sociology, Anthropology and Development Studies. The course will help students develop a broad knowledge of the politics of housing in different countries and how they intersect with issues such as urban development, housing finance and public policy. It will also encourage students to think about housing issues relationally and globally.
Themes
Some of the themes covered in this course include: Traditional Housing, Communities, Gender and Housing, Race and Ethnicity and Housing, Homelessness, Housing and Emergencies etc.
Teaching
In the Department of Geography and Environment, teaching will be delivered through a combination of classes/seminars, pre-recorded lectures, live online lectures, in-person lectures and other supplementary interactive live activities.
This course is delivered through a combination of seminars and lectures across Lent Term.
This course includes a reading week in Week 6 of Lent Term.
Formative coursework
Students will be expected to produce 1 piece of coursework in the LT.
One 1500 word essay and 4 one page reading responses
Indicative reading
- Grewal, I. (1996) Home and Harem: Nation, Gender, Empire and the Cultures of Travel. Durham: Duke University Press
- Caldeira, Teresa. (2001) City of Walls: Crime, Segregation and Citizenship in Sao Paolo. Berkeley: University of California Press.
- Gowan, T. (2010) Hobos, Hustlers, and Backsliders: Homeless in San Francisco. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
- Gottesdiener, L (2013) A Dream Foreclosed: Black America and the Fight for a Place to Call Home. Westfield: Zuccotti Park Press
- Jackson, K. (1985) Crabgrass Frontier: The Suburbanization of the United States. New York: Oxford University Press.
- King, A. (1995) The Bungalow: The Production of a Global Culture, New York: Oxford University Press.
- Smart, A. (2006) The Shek Kip Mei Myth: Squatters, Fires and Colonial Rule in Hong Kong, 1950-1963. Hong Kong University Press.
Assessment
Essay (80%, 5000 words) in the ST.
Presentation (20%) in the LT.
Student performance results
(2016/17 - 2018/19 combined)
| Classification | % of students |
|---|---|
| Distinction | 51.7 |
| Merit | 36.2 |
| Pass | 10.3 |
| Fail | 1.7 |
Important information in response to COVID-19
Please note that during 2020/21 academic year some variation to teaching and learning activities may be required to respond to changes in public health advice and/or to account for the situation of students in attendance on campus and those studying online during the early part of the academic year. For assessment, this may involve changes to mode of delivery and/or the format or weighting of assessments. Changes will only be made if required and students will be notified about any changes to teaching or assessment plans at the earliest opportunity.
Key facts
Department: Geography & Environment
Total students 2019/20: 28
Average class size 2019/20: 14
Controlled access 2019/20: Yes
Value: Half Unit
Personal development skills
- Self-management
- Application of information skills
- Communication
- Specialist skills
