2023-2024 / ARCH0353-2

Sociology and urban sociology

Theoretical courses

Lectures approfondies de textes

Duration

Theoretical courses : 24h Th
Lectures approfondies de textes : 6h Moni. ex.

Number of credits

 Master in sociology (120 ECTS)3 crédits 

Lecturer

Theoretical courses : Stéphane Dawans
Lectures approfondies de textes :

Language(s) of instruction

French language

Organisation and examination

Teaching in the first semester, review in January

Schedule

Schedule online

Units courses prerequisite and corequisite

Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program

Learning unit contents

T

The urban question is becoming all the more urgent as the complete urbanization of the planet, a hypothesis that Henri Lefebvre formulated around 1968, seems to be taking place at an unexpected speed. While the world's population is growing at a dizzying pace, city dwellers will soon represent two thirds of it, in other words, 5 billion people who will be crowding into ever larger cities.  It is therefore not surprising to see sociologists such as Jean-Marc Stébé and Hervé Marchal assert that "the city as a human institution has largely imposed itself on our ways of thinking, feeling, acting, moving, communicating, loving, consuming..." or philosophers such as Olivier Mongin and Thierry Paquot speak of the "urban condition" or homo urbanus to apprehend this socio-spatial transformation without precedent in human history.

Among urban studies, the sociology of the city has been trying to make this phenomenon intelligible since the second half of the 19th century, when the first metropolises appeared with industrial society. Today, in the so-called post-Fordist regime, cities are redeployed according to the modalities imposed by the new spirit of capitalism. New phenomena are emerging: economic globalization of the world, development of new technologies and mobility, birth of globalized megacities...  Their analysis requires the mobilization of new concepts (Castell and Dupuys' network city, Latour's actor-network theory...)

In this course, we will try to identify how the social and the spatial are articulated at two key moments in recent history: the turn of the 20th century when progressive and culturalist urbanism theories (Choay) clash, and the turn of the 21st century when the industrial city is led to reconfigure itself under the impact of an economy that has become largely tertiary, touristic and globalized.

In order to give us the necessary tools to understand how this spatial/social articulation works in a world in full reconfiguration, we will quickly review the history of urban sociology in order to approach the authors (from Marx to Sennett), the texts (original as much as possible) and the essential concepts of the discipline (organic solidarity, sociation, urban area, ...lived space, ...metropolization).

 

Theoretical courses

T

The urban question is becoming all the more urgent as the complete urbanization of the planet, a hypothesis that Henri Lefebvre formulated around 1968, seems to be taking place at an unexpected speed. While the world's population is growing at a dizzying pace, city dwellers will soon represent two thirds of it, in other words, 5 billion people who will be crowding into ever larger cities.  It is therefore not surprising to see sociologists such as Jean-Marc Stébé and Hervé Marchal assert that "the city as a human institution has largely imposed itself on our ways of thinking, feeling, acting, moving, communicating, loving, consuming..." or philosophers such as Olivier Mongin and Thierry Paquot speak of the "urban condition" or homo urbanus to apprehend this socio-spatial transformation without precedent in human history.

Among urban studies, the sociology of the city has been trying to make this phenomenon intelligible since the second half of the 19th century, when the first metropolises appeared with industrial society. Today, in the so-called post-Fordist regime, cities are redeployed according to the modalities imposed by the new spirit of capitalism. New phenomena are emerging: economic globalization of the world, development of new technologies and mobility, birth of globalized megacities...  Their analysis requires the mobilization of new concepts (Castell and Dupuys' network city, Latour's actor-network theory...)

In this course, we will try to identify how the social and the spatial are articulated at two key moments in recent history: the turn of the 20th century when progressive and culturalist urbanism theories (Choay) clash, and the turn of the 21st century when the industrial city is led to reconfigure itself under the impact of an economy that has become largely tertiary, touristic and globalized.

In order to give us the necessary tools to understand how this spatial/social articulation works in a world in full reconfiguration, we will quickly review the history of urban sociology in order to approach the authors (from Marx to Sennett), the texts (original as much as possible) and the essential concepts of the discipline (organic solidarity, sociation, urban area, ...lived space, ...metropolization).

 

Lectures approfondies de textes

The urban question is the today's major concern : the complete urbanization of the planet, such a
The urban question becomes all the more urgent as the complete urbanization of the planet, hypothesis that Henri Lefebvre had formulated around 1968, seems to be realized at an unexpected speed. As the world population grows in a vertiginous way, as the current work of a radical geography verifies (Harvey, Davis ...), the city dwellers will represent two thirds of the population in 10 years, in other words, 5 billions of human beings will flock to larger and larger cities. It is therefore not surprising to see sociologists like Jean-Marc Stébé and Hervé Marchal affirming  that "the city as a human institution has largely imposed itself in our ways of thinking, feeling, acting, moving , to communicate, to love, to consume ... "or philosophers like Olivier Mongin and Thierry Paquot speaking of" urban condition "or even of « homo urbanus » to apprehend this socio-spatial transformation unprecedented in human history.
Among the urban studies or urban studies, the sociology of the city strives to make this phenomenon intelligible since the second half of the 19th century when the first metropolis appeared with the industrial society. Today, in a post-Fordist regime, cities are redeploying themselves according to the modalities imposed by the « new spirit of capitalism ». New phenomena are emerging: economic globalization of the world, development of new technologies and mobility, birth of globalized megacities ... Their analysis therefore requires the mobilization of new concepts (network city in Castell's and Dupuys' work, actor-network theory in  Latour ...)
In this course, we will try to identify how the social and the spatial articulate at two key moments in recent history: the turn of the 20th century when the theories of progressive and culturalist urbanism clash (Choay ), and the turn of the 21st century when the industrial city is brought to reconfigure itself under the blow of an economy become largely tertiary, tourist and globalized.
To give us the necessary tools to understand how this spatial / social articulation works in a world in the middle of a reconfiguration, we will quickly draw the history of urban sociology to approach the authors (from Marx to Sennett), the texts (original as well as make possible) and the essential concepts of the discipline (organic solidarity, sociation, urban area, ... lived space, ... metropolisation).

Learning outcomes of the learning unit

At the end of the course, students will be able to identify a significant issue in the urban fabric today and highlight it using the concepts and theories studied.

Theoretical courses

At the end of the course, students will be able to identify a significant issue in the urban fabric today and highlight it using the concepts and theories studied.

Lectures approfondies de textes

At the end of the course, the students will notably be able to identify these new movements of the contemporary city (gentrification, periurbanisation, relegation, ...) and to explain the political stakes of what the geographer Michel Lussault approaches as a struggle for places, after the class struggle ...

Prerequisite knowledge and skills

None

Theoretical courses

None

Lectures approfondies de textes

None

Planned learning activities and teaching methods

The course will be mainly given in masterful form (with the help of a power point, excerpts from documentaries, ...) and possibly accompanied by one or two presentations of researchers

Theoretical courses

The course will be mainly given in masterful form (with the help of a power point, excerpts from documentaries, ...) and possibly accompanied by one or two presentations of researchers

Lectures approfondies de textes

The course will be mainly given in masterful form (with the help of a power point, excerpts from documentaries, ...) and possibly accompanied by one or two presentations of researchers

Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)

Face-to-face course


Additional information:

Presential, except in cases beyond our control

Theoretical courses

Face-to-face course


Additional information:

Presential, except in cases beyond our control

Lectures approfondies de textes

The course will be mainly given in masterful form (with the help of a power point, excerpts from documentaries, ...) and possibly accompanied by one or two presentations of researchers
  What do you want to do ? New mailCopy

Recommended or required readings

La sociologie urbaine. Par Jean-Marc Stébé et Hervé Marchal. Année : 2018; Pages : 128; Collection : Que sais-je ? Éditeur : Presses Universitaires de France.  

Theoretical courses

La sociologie urbaine. Par Jean-Marc Stébé et Hervé Marchal. Année : 2018; Pages : 128; Collection : Que sais-je ? Éditeur : Presses Universitaires de France.  

Lectures approfondies de textes

La sociologie urbaine. Par Jean-Marc Stébé et Hervé Marchal. Année : 2018; Pages : 128; Collection : Que sais-je ? Éditeur : Presses Universitaires de France.  

Assessment methods and criteria

Exam(s) in session

Any session

- In-person

oral exam


Additional information:

en cours
 
What do you want to do ?
New mailCopy

 
What do you want to do ?
New mailCopy

 
What do you want to do ?
New mailCopy

Theoretical courses

Exam(s) in session

Any session

- In-person

oral exam


Additional information:

en cours
 
What do you want to do ?
New mailCopy

 
What do you want to do ?
New mailCopy

 
What do you want to do ?
New mailCopy

Lectures approfondies de textes

en cours   What do you want to do ? New mailCopy
  What do you want to do ? New mailCopy

Work placement(s)

Organisational remarks and main changes to the course

Contacts

Stéphane Dawans

Theoretical courses

Stéphane Dawans

Lectures approfondies de textes

Stéphane Dawans

Association of one or more MOOCs