Students are strongly urged to familiarize themselves with the city's areas and public transportation system as soon as possible. Students are expected to be punctual for all class sessions and on-site visits. Please be advised that on-site classes require a good deal of walking and standing.

The assessment criteria listed below refer to all assessment methods in the course.

RESEARCH ASSIGNMENT:

The research assignment makes up 35% of the course grade – 25% for the written paper and 10% for the oral presentation to the class. Students should choose a topic relevant to the course and write a (minimum) 1,500-word research paper using at least three academic sources (library books, academic web material and supplemented by recent newspaper articles where relevant). Non-academic internet material is not reliable and should be avoided. If you have doubts about the appropriateness of a source, please check with the instructor. All sources must be cited in the text and bibliography following APA style. Students should start researching their topic well in advance.

The oral presentations will take place before the final draft of the paper is due. Students will be required to give a 10-12 minute explanation of the topic of their research paper, its relevance to the course, the methods used to collect information, their main findings and conclusions and a brief discussion of the sources used. Classmates will be encouraged to ask questions and engage in debate/discussion in order to provide feedback prior to completing the final draft.

1. Demonstrate knowledge of the city’s urban development since 1870.

2. Demonstrate familiarity with the economic, political, social, religious, cultural and institutional diversity that characterizes the city of Rome today.

3. Describe individual neighborhoods and identify their key roles and relations with the broader urban context.

4. Identify the main sociological features of each neighborhood and, where problems and conflicts exist, propose solutions.

5. Demonstrate familiarity with major theories of urban sociology and apply them to the case-study neighborhoods in order to assess their validity and relevance for understanding the particular situation of Rome.

6. Analyze various cinematic, literary and interview discourses of the city by its residents.

Attendance concerns arriving punctually, remaining in class for the duration of each lesson, participating actively and constructively, and refraining from using devices such as personal computers, cell phones, and tablets. The final grade will be reduced by 3% for each absence after the second.

You cannot make up a major exam (midterm or final) without the permission of the Dean's Office. The Dean's Office will grant such permission only when the absence was caused by a serious impediment, such as a documented illness, hospitalization or death in the immediate family (in which you must attend the funeral) or situations of similar gravity. Absences due to other meaningful conflicts such as job interviews, family celebrations, travel difficulties, student misunderstandings or personal convenience, will not be excused. Students who will miss an exam must notify the Dean's Office prior to that exam. Absences from class due to the observance of a religious holiday will normally be excused. Individual students who will have to miss class to observe a religious holiday should notify the instructor by the end of the Add/Drop period to make prior arrangements for making up the work that will be missed.

A detailed Syllabus and Schedule will be distributed on the first day of class. All readings will be provided.