Urban Studies

The following 2026-2027 courses count for concentration credit in the American Studies field.

In most cases, this means that at least 50% of the material in the course relates directly to the student’s field. If you find a course that you think is well-suited to your own particular course of study, but that does not appear on the list, please petition the Committee on Instruction for credit, keeping in mind the 50% guideline.

This Courses that Count list was updated on March 5, 2026. Look to the key below to determine which courses can count towards specific field requirements. Click on the requirement term to see a short list of courses that fulfill that field requirement. If you have any questions, please direct them to Associate Director Angela S. Allan.

"F" indicates a course offered during the fall semester. "Sp" indicates a course offered during the spring semester.

Courses taken with the Graduate School of Design may be counted pending petition approval.

Key to Requirements:

Core course (C): Core course in Urban Studies
Pre-1900: Pre-1900 in Urban Studies 
1900-2000: 1900-2000 in Urban Studies
Quantitative (Q): Quantitative reasoning
 

• AAAS 174. The African City. Blier.  F
• AAAS 143Y. African Landscape Architecture: Alternative Futures for the Field. Doherty.  S 
   
• AFVS 174E. Surroundings: Media and Environment. TBA.  S 
   
• Classics 11. Roman Archaeology. Andrews.  F
   
• East Asian Studies 196. Political Geogrpahy of China. Koss.  F
• East Asian Studies 146. The Modern History of Rural China. Szonyi. (1900-2000)  S
   
• Economics 1800. The Economics of Cities. DiPasquale and Glaeser.  (Q)  S
• Economics 50. Using Big Data to Solve Economic and Social Problems. Chetty and Bruich.  (Q)  S
   
• Education Studies 137. Leading Change in City Schools: Urban Education Reform in Action. [cross-listed with Social Studies] Simon.  S  
   
• Engineering Sciences 138. Computing, Design, Values [with urban studies focus]  (Q)  S
• Engineering Sciences 100HFA. Engineering Design Projects [with urban studies focus]  (Q)  F
• Engineering Sciences 100HFB. Engineering Design Projects [with urban studies focus]  (Q)  S
   
• Folk and Myth 121. From Trad Lives to Trad Wives: Contemporary Homesteading. TBA.  S 
   
• French 159. Sex Work: Epistemology of the Prostitute. Frydman.  S 
   
• FYSEMR 72I. Everyday I'm Hustlin': Pop Culture, Youth, and the African City. Agbiboa.  F
• FYSEMR 73U. Reading the History of Boston. Ur.  (Pre-1900)  S
• FYSEMR 66G. Paris. Frydman.  S
• FYSEMR 73Z. Lasers in the Maya Jungle: Discovering Lost Cities in Mexico and Central America. Fash.  (Pre-1900)  F
• FYSEMR 73S. Crime and Justice in a Changing America. TBA.  (1900-2000)  F
   
• Government 94TW. Housing Policy and Urbanization in the United States. Weitz.  (Q)  S
   
• History 32B. The Ottoman Empire and the World II (1500-1920)  (Pre-1900)  F
• History 122. Scandal in the Colonies. McKenzie.  (Pre-1900) (1900-2000)  F 
   
• History & Literature 90HN. Soccer, Globalization, and Urban Life. Carvalho.  (1900-2000)  F
• History & Literature 90HO. New York Modern. Hawkey.  (1900-2000)  F
   
• History of Art and Architecture 127M. Medieval Architecture in Greater Iran and Central Asia. Roxburgh.  (Pre-1900)  F
• History of Art and Architecture 12M. Monuments and Cities of the Islamic World: An Introduction. Necipoglu-Kafadar and Roxburgh.  (Pre-1900) (1900-2000)  F
• History of Art and Architecture 226V. Visual, Material, Architectural Cultures Between East and West. Necipoglu-Kafadar.  (Pre-1900)  F
• History of Art and Architecture 12. World Cities. Lippit and Roxburgh. (C)  S
• History of Art and Architecture 78. Contact and Exchange: Modern and Contemporary Architecture and Design in South Asia. Khandelwal. (Pre-1900) (1900-2000)  S
• History of Art and Architecture 159V. Vienna: City of Dreams. Koerner.  S
• History of Art and Architecture 96B. Architecture Studio: Connections. Palmore and Panzano.  S
   
• Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations 120. Jerusalem: a History: From Antiquity to the Present. Marglin.  (Pre-1900) (1900-2000)  S 
   
• Portuguese 59. Portuguese and the Community. Soares.  F 
   
• Social Studies 98MM. Asian Cities: Multiple Modernities and Global Connections. Guan.  F
• Social Studies 98SG. Governing Space: Architecture, Confinement, and Surveillance. Durr.  (Q)  S
• Social Studies 98UE. Urban Ecologies and (Dis)organized Complexities. Guan.  F
   
• Sociology 1263. Community Organizing and Action. Perea.  (Q)  F
• Sociology 1297. Housing and Homelessness. Wallerstein.  (Q)  S 
   
• Spanish 59. Spanish and the Community. Parra-Velasco.  F 
   
• Theater, Dance & Media 187B. Collective Protocols as Public Space. Bruguera.  F
• Theater, Dance & Media 141BD. Boston Goes Dancing. Quinton.   S