People and Place in Philadelphia

Catalog description

The purpose of this course is twofold. The first is to introduce students to the city of Philadelphia and its residents from a sociological, demographic, and public policy perspective. The second is to train students in quantitative research methods and use of public data resources in order to describe demographic, social, and economic trends in the city. Classroom instruction will be paired with field trips to community organizations that are developing research-informed strategies to improve well-being in Philadelphia’s neighborhoods. Students will produce research briefs that will be disseminated to the public through the University of Pennsylvania Population Studies Center. A course theme (e.g., housing, education, environment) will focus topics for discussion and data analysis.