ARCH562 Urban Anthropology
Syllabus | International University of Sarajevo - Last Update on Oct 10, 2025
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Architecture
Nerma Omićević
Course Lecturer
Course Objectives
This course would introduce the students to the concepts of urban anthropology as a science that deals with social relations in urban settlements. This scientific discipline deals with issues of general anthropology, but at the same time it is related to concepts such as urban planning, urban theory and urban sociology, and includes the study of class, racial, gender and other relations in cities. As a result, students will better understand the complex cultural, social, political and economical relation of the urban communities. Understanding these terms is a necessary basis, without which it is not possible to properly plan the development of urban areas in any part of the world, since urban planning is not based exclusively on technical-urban knowledge and skills. The aim of this course is also for students to begin to understand urban planning and urban design as a tool for solving social contradictions, i.e. to start putting cultural and anthropological differences into the function of increasing the quality of life in cities in an economic, social and ecological sense through urban projects.
Learning Outcomes
After successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:
Course Materials
Required Textbook
Amrit Kumar Bhandari. Urban Anthropology: An overview of the discipline and scope. Himalayan Journal of Sociology & Antropology-Vol. IV (2010) (l2); Giuliana B. Prato, Italo Pardo: Urban Anthropology’, University of Kent, 2017. (l3,4); Caroline B. Brettell. Urban History, Urban Anthropology, and the Study of Migrants in Cities, article in City & Society, 2008. (l5a); Meirav Aharon-Gutman, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. The iron cage of ethnicity: Ethnic urban enclaves and the challenge of urban design. 2013 Macmillan Publishers Ltd.(l5b); Jeffery Dow. Keeping Some Distance: Anthropology in Urban Planning, Practicing Anthropology (1994) 16 (2): 24–26. Volume 16, Issue 2, Spring 1994. Research article 2010. (l6); L Shabatura, N Bauer, O. Iatsevich. Socio-Cultural Problems of Sustainable Urban Environment. International Multi-Conference on Industrial Engineering and Modern technologies, 2018. (l8); Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris. Urban Form and Social Context: Cultural Differentiation in the Uses of Urban Parks. Journal of Planning Education and Research. 1995 (l9); Lu Liu. Compact Urban Form and Human Development: Retest Based on Heterogeneous Effects. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2022. (l10); N. Martino, CL Girling, Yuhao Lu. Urban form and livability: socioeconomic and built environment indicators. Buildings and cities, 2021 (l11); R. Skeldon,Migration, urbanization and development, SSRC Migration & Development Conference Paper No. 232008. (l12); B. Marpaung. Socio-Cultural Impacts in the Formation of Urban Village. IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, 2017. (l13); PN Gulfira Akbar, J Edelenbos. Social Impacts of Place-Making in Urban Informal Settlements: A Case Study of Indonesian Kampungs, 2020. (l14)
Additional Literature
Teaching Methods
Teaching will comprise of lectures, and class discussions
Set readings will form a key component of the teaching practice
Weekly Topics
| Week | Topic | Readings / References |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Course Introduction, presentation of the Syllabus and expectations | |
| 2 | An overview of the Urban Anthropology; Discussion, assignment of the elements for the 1st class exercize | Amrit Kumar Bhandari |
| 3 | Cross-disciplinary Influences, Early Anthropological Studies and Developments in Urban Areas; Discussion and student presentations related to the the elements for the 1st class exercize | G. B. Prato, I. Pardo (up to p 11_89) |
| 4 | Tribalization of Cities and Diversification of Urb anthrop. Methodology of research; 1st In class exercize | G. B. Prato, I. Pardo (l4 from p11_89 to p22_100) |
| 5 | Migration and Ethnic enclaves | "Caroline B. Brettell, 2008. (l5a) Southern Methodist UniversityAharon-Gutman, 2013. (l5b)" |
| 6 | Anthropology and Urban planning | Jeffery Dow, 1994. |
| 7 | Midterm exam | |
| 8 | Urban form and sociocultural developments | L Shabatura, 2018. |
| 9 | Urban form and social context, 2nd In class exercize | A. Loukaitou-Sideris, 1995. |
| 10 | Urban Form and Human Development: Retest basis | Lu Liu, 2022. |
| 11 | Socioeconomic and built environment indicators, 1st Assignment | N. Martino, 2021 |
| 12 | Migration, urbanization and development | R. Skeldon, 2008. |
| 13 | Social impacts in the Formation of Urban Village , 2nd Assignment | B. Marpaung, 2017. |
| 14 | Social Impacts of Place-Making, case of Indonesian Kampungs | PN Gulfira Akbar, J Edelenbos, 2020 |
| 15 |
Course Schedule (All Sections)
Office Hours & Room
Assessment Methods and Criteria
Assessment Components
Final Exam
AI: Not AllowedAlignment with Learning Outcomes :
In-term exam
AI: Not AllowedAlignment with Learning Outcomes :
In-class exercises
AI: Not AllowedAlignment with Learning Outcomes :
Assignments
AI: Not AllowedAlignment with Learning Outcomes :
IUS Grading System
| Grading Scale | IUS Grading System | IUS Coeff. | Letter (B&H) | Numerical (B&H) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 - 44 | F | 0 | F | 5 |
| 45 - 54 | E | 1 | ||
| 55 - 64 | C | 2 | E | 6 |
| 65 - 69 | C+ | 2.3 | D | 7 |
| 70 -74 | B- | 2.7 | ||
| 75 - 79 | B | 3 | C | 8 |
| 80 - 84 | B+ | 3.3 | ||
| 85 - 94 | A- | 3.7 | B | 9 |
| 95 - 100 | A | 4 | A | 10 |
Late Work Policy
Information about late submission policies will be shared during class and posted in this section. Please check back for official guidelines.
ECTS Credit Calculation
📚 Student Workload
This 4 ECTS credit course corresponds to 100 hours of total student workload, distributed as follows:
Lecture Hours
28 hours ⏳ (14 week × 2 h)
Assignments
16 hours ⏳ (2 week × 8 h)
Home study
28 hours ⏳ (14 week × 2 h)
Class exercises
8 hours ⏳ (2 week × 4 h)
In-term exam study
12 hours ⏳ (1 week × 12 h)
Final exam study
15 hours ⏳ (1 week × 15 h)
100 Total Workload Hours
4 ECTS Credits
Course Policies
Academic Integrity
All work submitted must be your own. Plagiarism, cheating, or any form of academic dishonesty will result in disciplinary action according to university policies. When in doubt about citation practices, consult the instructor.
Attendance Policy
Students are expected to adhere to the attendance requirements as outlined in the International University of Sarajevo Study Rules and Regulations. Excessive absences, whether excused or unexcused, may impact academic performance and eligibility for assessment. Mandatory sessions (e.g., labs, workshops) require attendance unless formally exempted. For detailed policies on absences, documentation, and penalties, please refer to the official university regulations.
Technology & AI Policy
Laptops/tablets may be used for note-taking only during lectures. Phones should be silenced and put away during all class sessions. Audio/video recording requires prior permission from the instructor.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Usage: The use of AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini) varies by assessment component. Please refer to the AI usage indicator next to each assessment item in the Assessment Methods and Criteria section above. Submitting AI-generated content as your own work, where AI is not explicitly allowed, constitutes an academic integrity violation.
Communication Policy
All course-related communication should occur through official university channels (institutional email or SIS). Emails should include [ARCH562] in the subject line.
Academic Quality Assurance Policy
Course Academic Quality Assurance is achieved through Semester Student Survey. At the end of each academic year, the institution of higher education is obliged to evaluate work of the academic staff, or the success of realization of the curricula.
Learning Tips
Be prepared to contribute thoughtfully during class discussions, labs, or collaborative work. Active participation deepens understanding and encourages critical thinking.
Complete assigned readings or prep materials before class. Take notes, highlight key ideas, and jot down questions. Aim to grasp core concepts and their applications—not just facts.
Use course frameworks or methodologies to analyze problems, case studies, or projects. Begin early to allow time for reflection and refinement. Seek feedback to improve your work.
Don’t hesitate to reach out when something is unclear. Use office hours, discussion boards, or peer networks to clarify concepts and stay on track.
Syllabus Last Updated on Oct 10, 2025 | International University of Sarajevo
Print Syllabus
Referencing Curricula Print this page
| Course Code | Course Title | Weekly Hours* | ECTS | Weekly Class Schedule | ||||||
| T | P | |||||||||
| ARCH562 | Urban Anthropology | 3 | 0 | 4 | ||||||
| Prerequisite | None | It is a prerequisite to | - | |||||||
| Lecturer | Nerma Omićević | Office Hours / Room / Phone | Wednesday: 9:30-12:00 Thursday: 9:30-12:00 |
|||||||
| nomicevic@ius.edu.ba | ||||||||||
| Assistant | Assistant E-mail | |||||||||
| Course Objectives | This course would introduce the students to the concepts of urban anthropology as a science that deals with social relations in urban settlements. This scientific discipline deals with issues of general anthropology, but at the same time it is related to concepts such as urban planning, urban theory and urban sociology, and includes the study of class, racial, gender and other relations in cities. As a result, students will better understand the complex cultural, social, political and economical relation of the urban communities. Understanding these terms is a necessary basis, without which it is not possible to properly plan the development of urban areas in any part of the world, since urban planning is not based exclusively on technical-urban knowledge and skills. The aim of this course is also for students to begin to understand urban planning and urban design as a tool for solving social contradictions, i.e. to start putting cultural and anthropological differences into the function of increasing the quality of life in cities in an economic, social and ecological sense through urban projects. | |||||||||
| Textbook | Amrit Kumar Bhandari. Urban Anthropology: An overview of the discipline and scope. Himalayan Journal of Sociology & Antropology-Vol. IV (2010) (l2); Giuliana B. Prato, Italo Pardo: Urban Anthropology’, University of Kent, 2017. (l3,4); Caroline B. Brettell. Urban History, Urban Anthropology, and the Study of Migrants in Cities, article in City & Society, 2008. (l5a); Meirav Aharon-Gutman, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. The iron cage of ethnicity: Ethnic urban enclaves and the challenge of urban design. 2013 Macmillan Publishers Ltd.(l5b); Jeffery Dow. Keeping Some Distance: Anthropology in Urban Planning, Practicing Anthropology (1994) 16 (2): 24–26. Volume 16, Issue 2, Spring 1994. Research article 2010. (l6); L Shabatura, N Bauer, O. Iatsevich. Socio-Cultural Problems of Sustainable Urban Environment. International Multi-Conference on Industrial Engineering and Modern technologies, 2018. (l8); Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris. Urban Form and Social Context: Cultural Differentiation in the Uses of Urban Parks. Journal of Planning Education and Research. 1995 (l9); Lu Liu. Compact Urban Form and Human Development: Retest Based on Heterogeneous Effects. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2022. (l10); N. Martino, CL Girling, Yuhao Lu. Urban form and livability: socioeconomic and built environment indicators. Buildings and cities, 2021 (l11); R. Skeldon,Migration, urbanization and development, SSRC Migration & Development Conference Paper No. 232008. (l12); B. Marpaung. Socio-Cultural Impacts in the Formation of Urban Village. IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, 2017. (l13); PN Gulfira Akbar, J Edelenbos. Social Impacts of Place-Making in Urban Informal Settlements: A Case Study of Indonesian Kampungs, 2020. (l14) | |||||||||
| Additional Literature | ||||||||||
| Learning Outcomes | After successful completion of the course, the student will be able to: | |||||||||
|
||||||||||
| Teaching Methods | Teaching will comprise of lectures, and class discussions. Set readings will form a key component of the teaching practice. | |||||||||
| Teaching Method Delivery | Teaching Method Delivery Notes | |||||||||
| WEEK | TOPIC | REFERENCE | ||||||||
| Week 1 | Course Introduction, presentation of the Syllabus and expectations | |||||||||
| Week 2 | An overview of the Urban Anthropology; Discussion, assignment of the elements for the 1st class exercize | Amrit Kumar Bhandari | ||||||||
| Week 3 | Cross-disciplinary Influences, Early Anthropological Studies and Developments in Urban Areas; Discussion and student presentations related to the the elements for the 1st class exercize | G. B. Prato, I. Pardo (up to p 11_89) | ||||||||
| Week 4 | Tribalization of Cities and Diversification of Urb anthrop. Methodology of research; 1st In class exercize | G. B. Prato, I. Pardo (l4 from p11_89 to p22_100) | ||||||||
| Week 5 | Migration and Ethnic enclaves | "Caroline B. Brettell, 2008. (l5a) Southern Methodist UniversityAharon-Gutman, 2013. (l5b)" | ||||||||
| Week 6 | Anthropology and Urban planning | Jeffery Dow, 1994. | ||||||||
| Week 7 | Midterm exam | |||||||||
| Week 8 | Urban form and sociocultural developments | L Shabatura, 2018. | ||||||||
| Week 9 | Urban form and social context, 2nd In class exercize | A. Loukaitou-Sideris, 1995. | ||||||||
| Week 10 | Urban Form and Human Development: Retest basis | Lu Liu, 2022. | ||||||||
| Week 11 | Socioeconomic and built environment indicators, 1st Assignment | N. Martino, 2021 | ||||||||
| Week 12 | Migration, urbanization and development | R. Skeldon, 2008. | ||||||||
| Week 13 | Social impacts in the Formation of Urban Village , 2nd Assignment | B. Marpaung, 2017. | ||||||||
| Week 14 | Social Impacts of Place-Making, case of Indonesian Kampungs | PN Gulfira Akbar, J Edelenbos, 2020 | ||||||||
| Week 15 | ||||||||||
| Assessment Methods and Criteria | Evaluation Tool | Quantity | Weight | Alignment with LOs | AI Usage |
| Final Exam | 1 | 30 | Not Allowed | ||
| Semester Evaluation Components | |||||
| In-term exam | 1 | 30 | Not Allowed | ||
| In-class exercises | 2 | 10 | Not Allowed | ||
| Assignments | 2 | 40 | Not Allowed | ||
| *** ECTS Credit Calculation *** | |||||
| Activity | Hours | Weeks | Student Workload Hours | Activity | Hours | Weeks | Student Workload Hours | |||
| Lecture Hours | 2 | 14 | 28 | Assignments | 8 | 2 | 16 | |||
| Home study | 2 | 14 | 28 | Class exercises | 4 | 2 | 8 | |||
| In-term exam study | 12 | 1 | 12 | Final exam study | 15 | 1 | 15 | |||
| Total Workload Hours = | 107 | |||||||||
| *T= Teaching, P= Practice | ECTS Credit = | 4 | ||||||||
| Course Academic Quality Assurance: Semester Student Survey | Last Update Date: 20/10/2025 | |||||||||