Urban Studies is concerned with metropolitan areas in terms of urban problems, community organization and development, administration, and public policy. The various social science disciplines are drawn upon to develop an understanding of, and solution to, the problems that characterize modern urban societies.
The Urban Studies Department at Queens College offers an interdisciplinary program focused on the study of cities with particular emphasis on urban problems, urban politics, and urban subcultures. Our faculty span nearly all social science disciplines: sociology, political science, anthropology, economics, history, urban planning, and public administration.
These varied disciplines provide our students with diverse and complementary perspectives on urban life. A hallmark of our department is its policy orientation: we not only study the historical and social basis of urban problems, we focus on practical solutions, through social policy, for addressing and alleviating these problems.
Urban Studies faculty have experience in many areas of public policy:
- education
- transportation
- health services and planning
- city and neighborhood planning
- community organization
- immigration and immigrant communities
- housing
- employment
- energy planning
- criminal justice
- urban data analysis
- labor relations
Urban Studies bridges the gap between academic scholarship and public policy. Our courses introduce students to theories of urban social and economic development and planning, but we are equally concerned with practical strategies for solving urban problems. We focus especially on New York City but draw examples from other cities and countries as well.
Many of our courses include a field component that encourages the application of classroom learning to the real world. We offer courses that are intellectually stimulating and, at the same time, socially relevant. We welcome students who bring a social consciousness to the intellectual enterprise.
Students have an opportunity to gain practical experience through our Internship Program, which places students in city agencies, community organizations, and voluntary groups concerned with urban problems. Students may also develop their research skills by participating in the work of the Department's Office of Community Studies and the Asian/American Center. As a small department, we promote a close working relationship between students and faculty.
