ERASMUS KA2 S Y L L A B U S S T R O L L W A L K I N G T H E C I T Y - S T R E E T S O N L I N E Curriculum for special course on urban research involving virtual mobility STROLL: Walking the City-Streets Online ID: 2020-1-HU01-KA226-HE-094111 IO2 Syllabus: Curriculum for special course on urban research involving virtual mobility mobility 1 Syllabus STROLL Walking the City-Streets Online Curriculum for special course on urban research involving virtual mobility Participating Organizations: Complutense University of Madrid -SPAIN University of Thessaly -GREECE Eotvos Lorand Tudomanyengyetem University -HUNGARY Artemisszio Alapitvany -HUNGARY Leading Organization: Artemisszio Alapitvany -HUNGARY 2022 This syllabus has been published with the support of the European Union. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of the partners of the Stroll project and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the European Union. Cover image: Juan Francisco (via Flickr) STROLL: Walking the City-Streets Online ID: 2020-1-HU01-KA226-HE-094111 IO2 Syllabus: Curriculum for special course on urban research involving virtual mobility mobility 2 STROLL. European virtual mobility through researching cities 80 hours Credits: Greece: 5, Spain: 6, Hungary: 6 I. Course description This course is the result of the collaboration of three universities from three European cities. Consequently, students will learn in a rich international atmosphere, will practice collaborative research in mixed peer groups and will learn from an interdisciplinary and international team, by virtually visiting and studying three European cities. The content of the course aims to introduce students into some epistemological traditions and methodological variations associated with urban studies. We look at the city both as a research topic and as a field, the exploration of which teaches us not only about urbanity but also about broader structural and cultural forces influencing our collective life. Researching the city therefore is not to get imprisoned in some tight disciplinary quarter; to the contrary, it is to open to the possibility to grasp holistically social and cultural trends by observing the small details of everyday urban life. The infinity of the possibilities obliges us to make some choices. Therefore, we will privilege four themes: Space, Art, Gender and Living in the City. The common thread connecting these seemingly disperse elements will be our engagement to question everywhere the possibility of social justice, inclusion, and equality. As we will virtually visit three European cities: Budapest, Madrid, and Larissa, we will both learn theoretically about our topics and conduct further fieldwork to discover what looking the city through these prisms may teach us about European society. Accordingly, students will receive basic introduction to urban studies through engagement of the above topics within urban studies, while they will be methodologically prepared to conduct independent, collective, fieldwork-based, ethnographically informed mini research projects. II. Structure of the course The course is structured around two teacher-led pedagogical pillars – a series of theory and method classes (20h), on the one hand, and a series of research seminars (20h), on the other hand. Beside this structured class time students are expected to spend time on independent fieldwork, collective work in peer groups and individual learning (40h all together). Collective fieldwork and data analysis are organized autonomously by students in research groups. Theory and method classes These online classes will be held on Mondays from 15h to 16h30 CET. They are teacher-led, focusing on theoretical issues related to the research topics as well as on some methodological considerations. Students are expected to use the learned methodologies during fieldwork. They are supposed to demonstrate active learning by referring to relevant theoretical frames and concepts during the research group presentations. Research seminars STROLL: Walking the City-Streets Online ID: 2020-1-HU01-KA226-HE-094111 IO2 Syllabus: Curriculum for special course on urban research involving virtual mobility mobility 3 Research seminars will take place on Wednesday from 15hto 16h30 CET. They are organized for the research groups, taking into consideration their specific interest. In the beginning of the program, each student is required to join one of the thematic research groups. In each research group there will be students from the host university and students from both visiting teams. Research groups will focus on one of the research topics: Urban Space, Art in the city, The gendered city, Living in the City. Therefore, 4 thematic research groups will meet their local research mentors in 4 parallel sessions. These sessions will be offline during the first module, and online from the second module. The aim of these seminars is to facilitate the research. As the program advances, students can take more and more initiative to organize this time autonomously, however, they should always take the opportunity during the sessions to consult local teachers. Fieldwork Fieldwork is an essential aspect of this program. It is based on ethnographic methods that students will learn during the introductory module. Students’ methodological toolbox will be continuously enriched during the semester. Fieldwork activities are to be organized and carried out collectively by students, however, following to the instructions of teachers. Additional independent tasks Besides the structured class time and fieldwork, students should find time to work independently and collectively on preparing for classes and on assignments. (see the section on assignments) Weekly schedule Theory and research classes Monday 15h- 16h30 CET Autonomous collective fieldwork Research seminar for research groups Wednesday 15h- 16h30 CET Independent individual work 1st-3rd weeks Introduction without mobility Online Collective offline fieldwork in local groups Offline with local teachers Reading and individual preparation 4th – 6th weeks Visiting Budapest Collective virtual fieldwork in international research groups 4 parallel sessions online for 4 research groups, with research mentors 7th-9th weeks Visiting Larisa 10th-12th weeks Visiting Madrid 13th week Online collective presentation STROLL: Walking the City-Streets Online ID: 2020-1-HU01-KA226-HE-094111 IO2 Syllabus: Curriculum for special course on urban research involving virtual mobility mobility 4 III. Modules: monthly learning cycles The course is organized in 4 modules, during which learning items vary but the structure remains the same. The first is an introductory module during which students get to know each other across borders, receive detailed information about the program and start learning about urban research. They gain their first (offline) fieldwork experience, supported by their local teachers. They will also contribute by preparing for hosting visiting groups. At the end of the module, they present the results of their work in local groups to the whole class. At the 4th week virtual mobility starts. Each students group has the chance to be host once and to virtually travel twice. In each country, students will spend virtually 3 weeks. In this timeframe they have to discover how their own research topic relates to the hosting city’s reality. Research groups conduct a mini virtual, fieldwork-based research together, gather data, analyze these, and present their findings at the end of the country module. This cycle is repeated three times, each time corresponding to one of the 3 cities of the program. During the last week there is no more teaching, just a collective online event organized by students, which stands in the place of the final exam. Learning outcomes At the end of the course students - will have understood key concepts related to urban research, - will have studied important authors in this field, will get to know their theoretical frame and will know how to apply this theoretical knowledge to their own research experience, - depending on their research group, they will deepen their knowledge in specific research topics and learn how to relate these to the urban question, - will have gained basic ethnographic skills, such as observing, journaling, interviewing - will have experimented with different creative methods of urban mapping, - will have learned how to collect, create and use data to create hypotheses and mini-theories, - will have gained valuable experience on how to conduct collective research and construct collective presentations, - In the process they will practice intercultural communication skills, and will exercise cooperative task management. STROLL: Walking the City-Streets Online ID: 2020-1-HU01-KA226-HE-094111 IO2 Syllabus: Curriculum for special course on urban research involving virtual mobility mobility 5 Course schedule Theory and method class (online) Literature Fieldwork and tasks Research Seminar I. Introduction 1 4 Feb r Welcome session. What does it take to learn in STROLL? Harvey, D. (2008). The right to the city. New Left Review, 53, 23–40. Low, Setha. 2014. Ch. 6 Spatializing culture: an engaged anthropological approach to space and place. In Gieseking, Jen J. et al. (Eds.), The People, Place and Space Reader, Taylor&Francis ebooks, pp. 34-38 Using ethnographic methods and mental mapping to understand the city 1 6 Feb r Discussing expectations, constructing research questions for research groups (offline) 2 1 Feb r Whose city is it anyhow? Researching the city in the anthropological tradition. From strolling to mental mapping 2 3 Feb r Analyzing and interpreting data: From findings to results. (offline) 2 8 Feb r Preparing for virtual mobility: Intercultural comparison, google maps, using the online platform, communicating on social media Preparing country presentation and google maps 2 M arch Group presentations by students on research (online, in 3 local groups) II. Budapest 7 M arch Gender and culture in the city (Lan Anh Nguyen Luu) Using photos for research in the city (Orsolya Endrődy, Krisztina Borsfay) Orsolya Endrődy: Picture Analysis: Creating a History of Childhood In: András, Benedek; Kristóf, Nyíri Learning and Technology in Historical Perspective Budapest, Magyarország : Budapest University of Technology and Economics (2019) 203 p. pp. 35-43. , 14 p. Fenster, T. (2005) The Right to the Gendered City: Different Formations of Using photo and iconography to understand the city 9 M arch Constructing research questions (online, in 4 groups) 1 4 M arch Collective country presentation by students (recorded) Iconography as method I. (recorded) Photovoice (recorded) 1 6 M arch Analyzing data, revising research questions (online, in 4 groups) https://m2.mtmt.hu/gui2/?mode=browse¶ms=publication;30611101 https://m2.mtmt.hu/gui2/?mode=browse¶ms=publication;30611101 https://m2.mtmt.hu/gui2/?mode=browse¶ms=publication;30611101 https://m2.mtmt.hu/gui2/?mode=browse¶ms=publication;30730115 https://m2.mtmt.hu/gui2/?mode=browse¶ms=publication;30730115 STROLL: Walking the City-Streets Online ID: 2020-1-HU01-KA226-HE-094111 IO2 Syllabus: Curriculum for special course on urban research involving virtual mobility mobility 6 2 1 M arch Women history through the lens of visuality (Endrődy Orsolya) Belonging in Everyday Life. Journal of Gender Studies, 14, 217 - 231. Interpreting data and preparing country presentation 2 3 M arch Group presentations by students on fieldwork (online, in 4 research groups) III. Larissa 2 8 M arch Citizen and Urban Open Space: Creating a Triple Win for citizens (Social, environmental, health). Conceptual mapping I. 1. Mennatallah Hamdy, Rovena Plaku (2021). Pocket Parks: Urban Living Rooms for Urban Regeneration. Civil Engineering and Architecture, 9(3), 747 - 759. DOI: 10.13189/cea.2021.090316 2. Landgrave-Serrano M, Stoker P, Crisman JJ. Punctual Urbanisms: Rapid Planning Responses to Urban Problems. Journal of Planning Literature. 2021;36(4):467- 491. doi:10.1177/0885412221999 424 Using mind maps to understand the city 3 0 . M arch Constructing research questions (online, in 4 research groups) 4 A p r Introduction to country (Greece) by students. Conceptual mapping II. / additional functions of google maps 6 . A p r Analyzing data, revising research questions (online, in 4 research groups) 9 April – 1 May SPRING HOLIDAY 2 M ay New approaches of Urban Green Spaces // Creative methods for development of Pocket Parks Interpreting data and country presentation 4 M ay Group presentations by students on research (online, in 4 research groups) IV. Madrid 9 M ay Art in the city: walk inside/out Mapping art-based community projects in the city. Smithson, R. (1967). A Tour of the Monuments of Passaic, New Jersey. ARTFORUM VOL.6, NO.4. Cleveland, W. (2002). Arts- based Community Development: Mapping the Terrain. In “Mapping the Field: Arts-based Community Development.” Community Arts Network. Using Google Maps to visualize art- based community projects in the city. 1 1 M ay Constructing the research questions (online, in 4 groups) 1 6 M ay Intro to country (Spain) by students (recorded). Drawing data as a creative method. Drawing data (personal and social dimension) 1 8 M ay Analyzing data, revising research questions (online, in 4 groups) STROLL: Walking the City-Streets Online ID: 2020-1-HU01-KA226-HE-094111 IO2 Syllabus: Curriculum for special course on urban research involving virtual mobility mobility 7 2 3 M ay Creative methods for Drawing in-the city/ Organize the festival “Drawing in-the city” Interpreting data and preparing country presentation 2 5 M ay Group presentations by students (online, in 4 groups) 3 0 M ay Collective presentation “Drawing in/the city” festival (offline) IV. Assignments and expectations Students are expected to participate actively during online classes and research seminars, read the obligatory literature, organize and do fieldwork in peer groups and prepare collectively learning outputs (country presentations, thematic google maps and presentations of research findings in each country, communication). In each module they will have to prepare minor individual assignments. At the end of the course, they will prepare collectively an output to account for their learning path. They will be graded based on continuous work. There will be no final exam. Evaluation criteria and assignment Type of grade Due Date Points Participation Individual Throughout semester 5 Country presentation by hosting group (1) Collective To be uploaded at the end of the 1st module 5 Reading Journal (4 entries) Individual Continuous, at the end of each module 20 Double entry journals (1 page and reflective write up per country – 3 extracts) Individual Continuous, at the end of each module 15 Thematic presentation of research results by research groups (4 presentations) Collective Once at the end of each module 40 Social media post (1 per research group) Collective Scheduled according to collective plan 5 1 final presentation by whole class Collective Final week 10 Total 100 STROLL: Walking the City-Streets Online ID: 2020-1-HU01-KA226-HE-094111 IO2 Syllabus: Curriculum for special course on urban research involving virtual mobility mobility 8 1. Participation Because of the collective nature of learning in this program being present in class is necessary, with camera on during online sessions. However, participation means much more than physical presence. Students are expected to come prepared (having read the readings, having done the fieldwork assignments) and contribute actively to discussions. 2. Country presentation by hosting group Once during the program each group of local students will take the role of (virtually) hosting the other students. Hosting students will have prepared a cc. 45-minute country presentation and share it with the whole class. The presentation should briefly deal with the following topics: 1. history of the country, 2. present political system, 3. intercultural issues, 4. most acute social problems. 3. Reading journal entries In each module 2 readings are compulsory. Throughout the program, the students should construct a reading journal of their readings and note details of their readings according to a given template. One account of a reading counts as a reading journal entry. Journal entries are short (maximum 1 or 2 pages), they contain the bibliographic data of the reading, the summary of its essential arguments, key quotes illustrating these arguments, the explanation of the most important concepts and a short reflection on how the reading relates to real life observations. Students submit one journal entry at the end of each module. 4. Reflective journals and country reflective write-ups. Learning how to do ethnographic fieldwork is part of the learning outcomes. Ethnography does not exist without note taking. Students will learn how to create a reflective fieldwork journal and will be expected to continuously take notes – and reflect on these - during fieldwork. They will select 1 or 2 pages of each of their country journal for submission and at the end of the country module they will create a short reflective write up based on their journal. 5. Presentations of research results In each country the learning will be composite. Its building blocks are what the students have learned in class, the readings, discussions with their teachers and research mentors, individual online research, and collective thematic research. Each module will end by a collective presentation by all the research groups (10 minutes presentation, followed by 10 minutes class discussion). The presentation will detail the topic on which they worked, the research question, the data gathered during fieldwork or otherwise and the analysis of the findings. Students should be able to demonstrate that their research has been informed by fieldwork, the theoretical frames and concepts learned, the readings, and the input of the research seminars. Research groups should use an appropriate visual aid to present their research. A good research presentation brings new insights in relation to the research topic, and it makes clear how these insights inform us on the city where fieldwork has been done. 6. Social media communication STROLL: Walking the City-Streets Online ID: 2020-1-HU01-KA226-HE-094111 IO2 Syllabus: Curriculum for special course on urban research involving virtual mobility mobility 9 Students participate actively in the communication activities around the course. During the semester each research group will produce an Instagram project or another social medial appearance through which they communicate on their research and learning experiences. These posts will be shared on the social media platform of the participating institutions. 7. Final presentation The course will end with a final presentation where all national teams will present in some creative way their learning path throughout the semester. This final presentation will stand for the final exam. Grading Scale The grading system will be specific in each country, following local methods, but everywhere will be based on an assessment of the percentage achieved. Note: Grades will be rounded up at .5 and above Expectations and Policies Participation This program is built upon a collaborative vision. Students are co-constructors of the collective learning path, their individual engagement and responsibility therefore is essential for the success of the course. Consequently, full participation is expected not only at teacher-led or assisted activities but also, in peer group activities, such as planning and realizing the research, including group discussions and fieldwork. Regular passivity or the lack of responsiveness may lead to failure, as in case of an individual fault collective grades might be exceptionally differentiated. Absence from class or group activities without previous notice is allowed three times. Beyond this limit, individual requests might be taken into consideration and exceptional permission may be granted considering special circumstances. It is to the teacher’s discretion to ask extra work to compensate repeated absences or missed activities. Assignments Finalizing and handing in assignments duly and according to schedule is a condition for the validation of the course. A delay in the submission of an assignment (without prior permission in case of force majeure) causes grade reduction. Ethical standards Plagiarism is the presentation of another person’s ideas or words without referring to the source. It might result from bad faith, but also from inadequate practice of quoting. The first case leads to the full refusal of the assignment, the second case leads to grade reduction. Research in social sciences involves people. The first rule in dealing with people is “do no harm”. Students are expected to follow the ethical standards of their universities. In any case, students cannot put their research participants in inconvenient situations, and cannot reveal data which might harm their safety of STROLL: Walking the City-Streets Online ID: 2020-1-HU01-KA226-HE-094111 IO2 Syllabus: Curriculum for special course on urban research involving virtual mobility mobility 10 reputation. Students should always deal with research participants with respect and consideration. In case of doubt, they should consult their instructors. Students are naturally expected to treat each other and their instructors also with respect. In case of conflict, they should aim at peaceful and constructive resolution. This syllabus has been published with the support of the European Union. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of the partners of the Stroll project and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the European Union.