Urban, Regional & Global Studies

Curriculum

Faculty

In URGS, we examine the spatial differentiation and organization of political, social, cultural and economic activity....

Your neighborhood is not an isolated place. Rather, your neighborhood is shaped by a range of social, economic, political and cultural forces that are both immediate and distant: things such as the globalization of production and finance, technological change, migration, transnational social movement politics, social conflict and war - as well as other forms of political conflict around race, gender and class. Issues such as these are the foundation of Urban, Regional and Global Studies (URGS) in Geography at Ohio State.

hong-kongStudent training in URGS will emphasize the spatial differentiation and organization of political, social, cultural and economic activity. Students enrolled in the URGS specialization will become familiar with a wide array of geographical theories and theoretical controversies, engage with a wide range of up-to-date case studies, and develop the skills necessary to employ a variety of research methodologies.

Upon completion of the degree, students will be able to link urban and regional politics and development to larger, global scale forces and trends.

The following table provides an overview of the major themes of teaching and research in the Urban, Regional, and Global Studies specialization, along with the names of faculty associated with these themes. However, this list is far from exhaustive. Faculty draw from a variety of subjects within and across specializations to develop their unique research interests. Click a faculty's name below for her or his specific interests. On the following page, click on the faculty's name for his or her website.

Geographies of Power
  Territory & territoriality Coleman, Cox, Mansfield, Wainwright
  Governance & Governmentality Coleman, Cox, Ettlinger, Mansfield, Xiao
  Geopolitics Coleman, Cox, Sui
Spatialities of Difference
  Difference & democracy Ettlinger
  Feminist geography Ettlinger, Kwan, Thomas
  Geographies of racism Ettlinger, Kwan, Sui, Thomas, Wainwright
  Sexuality & space Thomas
  Youth geographies Sui, Thomas
Urban Spaces
  Cities, suburbs & exurbia Cox, Malecki, Munroe, Sui, Xiao
  Urban politics & social change Cox, Ettlinger, Thomas
  Cities in the global economy Cox, Malecki, Munroe, Sui
  Social & spatial exclusion Cox, Ettlinger, Thomas
Accessibility & Mobility
  Cyber-accessibility Kwan, O'Kelly, Sui
  Accessibility to employment & healthcare Kwan, O'Kelly, Sui
  Geographies of law & mobility Coleman, Sui
  New mobility studies Kwan, Sui
Dynamics of Local & Global Economies
  Uneven development & globalization Coleman, Cox, Malecki, Mansfield, Munroe, Sui, Wainwright
  Innovation & knowledge networks Ettlinger, Malecki, Sui
  Cultural economy Ettlinger, Malecki, Mansfield
  Neoliberalism Coleman, Ettlinger, Mansfield
Critical Research Practices
  Critical GIS Kwan, Sui
  Visual & participatory methodologies Kwan, Thomas
  Critical realism Cox
  Historical materialism Cox, Wainwright
  Critical theory & analysis Ettlinger
  Policy genealogies Coleman, Mansfield