Instructor Insights

Instructor Insights pages are part of the OCW Educator initiative, which seeks to enhance the value of OCW for educators.

Course Overview

This page focuses on the course 11.016J/4.211J The Once and Future City as it was taught by Professor Anne Whiston Spirn in Spring 2015.

This course examines and explores the evolving structure of cities, the dynamic processes that shape them, and the significance of a city’s history in its future development. By using lectures, readings, workshops, and field trips, students will learn how to “read” the city, and will be able to use it as a primary source. Short field assignments will culminate in a written final project that showcases students’ ability to read, analyze, and reflect upon the evolving urban landscape.

Course Outcomes

Course Goals for Students

  • Explore how natural processes shape cities.
  • Explore how socio-economic processes shape cities.
  • Understand how and why cities change over time.
  • Identify traces of change present in current urban environments and interpret their significance.

Curriculum Information

Prerequisites

None

Requirements Satisfied

Offered

Typically offered every spring semester.
(Not offered Spring 2017)

 

Instructor Insights

By the last class session, students step back and realize that, collectively, they have constructed a theory based on their own observations, with evidence from their own sites.

— Anne Whiston Spirn

 

Assessment

Grade Breakdown

The students' grades were based on the following activities:

The color used on the preceding chart which represents the percentage of the total grade contributed by participation. 20% Participation

Instructor Insights on Assessment

I grade students’ assignments based on how astute the student's observations are. I look to see that the observations are not trivial, that they are finding things of significance to use as evidence for an argument. I also grade students’ work based on how well they take those observations and create an argument for the import of what they have discovered.

Student Information

19 students took this course when it was offered in Spring 2015.

Breakdown by Year

Mostly undergraduates

Breakdown by Major

Variety of majors, with many students from Mechanical Engineering (Course 2). The course offers a focus on design, which allows these students the opportunity to reflect on form and process.

Typical Student Background

On the first day of class, I ask students to complete a sheet telling me a little bit about themselves. I want to know where they grew up, and where they’ve lived. If I have good examples from those places to share, I’ll bring them into the course to make the content particularly meaningful for those students.

Enrollment Cap

Limited to 25 students

 

How Student Time Was Spent

During an average week, students were expected to spend 12 hours on the course, roughly divided as follows:

In Class

3 hours per week
  • Met 2 times per week for 1.5 hours per session
  • Researched historical maps of Cambridge and Boston
  • Took walking field trips around Cambridge
  • Discussed how to “read” a city as a primary source
 

Out of Class

9 hours per week

Students completed readings, weekly journal entries, and worked on the four parts of their cumulative course projects.

 

Semester Breakdown

WEEK M T W Th F
1 No classes throughout MIT. No session scheduled. Class meeting was scheduled for this session. No session scheduled. No session scheduled.
2 Class meeting was scheduled for this session. No session scheduled. Class meeting was scheduled for this session. No session scheduled. No session scheduled.
3 No classes throughout MIT, but an assignment was due. Class meeting was scheduled for this session. Class meeting was scheduled for this session. No session scheduled. No session scheduled.
4 Field trip was scheduled for this session. No session scheduled. Class meeting was scheduled for this session. No session scheduled. No session scheduled.
5 Class meeting was scheduled for this session. No session scheduled. Class meeting was scheduled for this session. No session scheduled. No session scheduled, but an assignment was due.
6 Class meeting was scheduled for this session. No session scheduled. Class meeting was scheduled for this session. No session scheduled. No session scheduled.
7 Workshop was scheduled for this session. No session scheduled. Class meeting was scheduled for this session. No session scheduled. No session scheduled.
8 No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT.
9 Class meeting was scheduled for this session. No session scheduled. Class meeting was scheduled for this session. No session scheduled. No session scheduled.
10 Class meeting was scheduled for this session. No session scheduled. Class meeting was scheduled for this session. No session scheduled. No session scheduled, but an assignment was due.
11 Class meeting was scheduled for this session. No session scheduled. Field trip was scheduled for this session. No session scheduled. No session scheduled.
12 No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT. Class meeting was scheduled for this session. No session scheduled. No session scheduled.
13 Class meeting was scheduled for this session. No session scheduled, but an assignment was due. Class meeting was scheduled for this session. No session scheduled. No session scheduled.
14 Class meeting and student presentation are scheduled for this session. No session scheduled. Class meeting and student presentation are scheduled for this session. No session scheduled. No session scheduled.
15 Class meeting and student presentation are scheduled for this session. No session scheduled. Class meeting was scheduled for this session and an assignment was due. No session scheduled. No classes throughout MIT.
16 No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT.
Displays the color and pattern used on the preceding table to indicate dates when classes are not held at MIT. No classes throughout MIT
Displays the color used on the preceding table to indicate date when class meetings are held. Class meeting
Displays the color used on the preceding table to indicate dates when workshops are held. Workshop
Displays the color used on the preceding table to indicate dates when student presentations are held. Student presentation
Displays the color used on the preceding table to indicate dates when no class session is scheduled. No class session scheduled
Displays the color used on the preceding table to indicate dates when field trips are held. Field trip
Displays the color used on the preceding table to indicate dates when assignments are due. Assignment due