GN110 Urbanization and the Common Good (3 cr.)

This course examines how cities shape human flourishing and the common good. Using ethical and civic frameworks, students explore issues such as housing affordability, gentrification, transportation, environmental health, immigration, public space, and climate resilience. Students practice making thoughtful decisions when values conflict and build applied skills in ethical reasoning, stakeholder engagement, equity analysis, and impact assessment.

Upon completion of this course, students are expected to be able to do the following:

1. Identify, collect, and create visual representations of basic city data to support interpretation of urban issues.
2. Apply systems thinking and stakeholder analysis to anticipate outcomes of social, economic, and environmental interventions in urban environments.
3. Use ethical and practical frameworks to evaluate case studies of urban dilemmas and propose justified courses of action.
4. Explain the ways urbanization affects human flourishing and the common good, using examples from contemporary urban issues.
5. Engage in virtuous dialogue with diverse audiences by listening actively, articulating perspectives thoughtfully, and presenting ideas clearly in both written and oral forms.