Inequality and Socio-spatial Hierarchies

Course Description

Objectives

This course examines the multiple spatial-social hierarchies and inequalities in contemporary urban spaces and their interrelations. Students will delve into relevant theoretical discussions in the literature and contextualize those with reference to concrete case studies and in relation to specific policy challenges.  

Content

The course examines different forms of sociospatial inequalities in cities from a Social Geography and Urban Studies perspective. Looking at the longue durée, it initially familiarizes students with the most important economic, political and cultural developments in modern cities, the social divisions they have entailed, and the ideological changes that have accompanied them. Then, the course focuses on the last decades of the 20th and the beginning of the 21st Century, i.e., an era of deindustrialization, economic restructuring and deregulation.  Different types of inequalities are analyzed with reference to distinctions of class, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, age and disability.  The course draws on a variety of case studies from Europe and the USA, with a prime focus on Athens.

Teaching & Assessment

The course is delivered through lectures that encourage and require active participation from students. Assessment is based either on a final written examination or on the submission and presentation of an exemption assignment. Attendance is compulsory for students opting for the exemption assignment route.