2011-2012 Academic Catalog - Victory University

URBAN STUDIES (US)US-1103 CITIES AND URBAN LIFE (3 SEMESTER HOURS)An examination of the historical, sociological, political and economic development ofurbanization. Problems of urban growth including housing, ethnicity/race and social class willbe assessed.US-2103 CONTEMPORARY SOCIAL PROBLEMS (3 SEMESTER HOURS)This course surveys the sociological perspective on contemporary social problems includingsexual behavior, drug addiction, ethnic relations, family and community disorganization,poverty, crime, mental illness, gender and age inequalities, wars and disarmament.US-3103 URBAN POLICY (3 SEMESTER HOURS)This course explores the nature of urban policy and its interaction with changing perspectives ourban life and social welfare. It will emphasize issues of poverty, economic development,housing, education and crime and the level of order. Memphis metropolitan branches ofgovernment as well as constituencies and special interest groups will be analyzed in terms oftheir roles in shaping urban policy.US-3113 URBAN PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT (3 SEMESTER HOURS)Urban planning is a technical, social, and political process concerned with land use planning.Development and redevelopment occur in downtown employment clusters, in suburbanresidential communities, and “edge Cities” at the exurban fringe. Land use plans reflectparticular concerns for fiscal impact. Other kinds of planning, increasingly important at thelocal level, include the construction of transportation infrastructure, urban design, communityand economic impact and regional concerns such as pollution.US-3123 EARLY URBAN CHRISTIANITY (3 SEMESTER HOURS)An assessment of the historical development and dynamic webs of human relationships thatconstituted life in the cities where Christianity began to take its enduring shapes.US-4103 SELECTED TOPICS IN URBAN STUDIES (3 SEMESTER HOURS)This course offers students an opportunity for in-depth, close examination of the urban settingwithin substantive areas. Offered on demand.US-4203 URBAN NEIGHBORHOODS (3 SEMESTER HOURS)This course will examine some of the most troubled neighborhoods in American cities anddiscuss the federal and local initiatives used to find and/or develop revival in these urban areas.The role of Community Development Corporations (CDCs) will be explored. Additionally,Memphis area CDCs will be examined with respect to their successes and failures to revive theMemphis metropolitan areas. Thus, this course combines both traditional classroom activitiessuch as lectures and discussions, a seminar format to discuss assigned readings, and learningmeasured reports on neighborhoods.241