PLAN 6311 Syllabus.docx 

 

Instructor	Dr. Ard Anjomani
Office	ARCH 418
Phone	817-272-3310
Email	anjomani@uta.edu
Faculty Profile	https://www.uta.edu/profiles/ardeshir-anjomani
Office Hours	Thursday | 3:00 - 5:00 pm or by Appointment
Teaching Assistant	Ali Behseresht
Office	ARCH 105 B
Email	ali.behseresht@mavs.uta.edu
Office Hours	Monday | 5:00 – 7:00 pm or by Appointment
Section Information	PLAN 6311
Time and Place of Class Meetings	Wednesday | 6:00PM - 8:50PM | ARCH404

 

Course Description

This course examines different aspects of urban structure, forces that shape urban form, and the extent to which they relate to policy and planning issues. This course is not intended to be a history of urban form or a review of planning theory, but rather a look at urban form and function, how they come about, the forces that can affect them, and the structure of urban areas. Therefore, the course will first set out a conceptual framework for understanding the importance of urban form and structure and its role in shaping urban areas.

It then provides an overview of critical topics and theories of urban spatial form and structure, including location theory, urban growth, density and land price, and land use and spatial pattern. Additionally, it discusses multi-centering, sprawl, and New-Urbanism (NTD & TOD). We will also examine the complex relationships between transportation, land use and urban form, and environmental aspects of urban development to metropolitan regions' dynamic growth/decline.

Finally, a discussion on the implications of these issues for urban planning and public policy will conclude the course.

 

Learning Outcomes 

• Students will understand the importance of urban spatial structure and its effects on the function of urban areas.
• Students will learn about the intersections of land use, environment, and transportation and their effects on changing urban form and structure.
• Describe major theories and concepts related to and/or influence formations and changes of urban spatial structure and growth/ decline of urban areas.
• Understand different critical topics and theories of urban spatial form and structure, including location theory, urban growth, density and land price, and land use and spatial patterns.
• Identify and assess the factors that influence urban spatial structure and development changes in urban areas.
• Students will understand how policy making at different levels can contribute to creating urban environments and spatial structure and vice versa.
• Students will be able to think critically about the spatial effects of urban development projects to link the planning practice and contemporary urban issues.

 

Required Textbook and Other Course Materials 

Material envisioned for the course, and the instructor's presentations have a clear structure and continuum. However, finding textbooks to cover the entire course topics proved challenging to achieve and has not been fully possible. McCann, P. (2013), Modern Urban and Regional Economics, Oxford: Oxford University Press, is a book which was the best we could find, and we used it as a required text in the past. However, it is somewhat difficult to read for our students, so we provide and use only a couple of chapters early in the course as important foundation material. The text below is only broadly and generally related to the covered materials but is a breeze to read. Given the interdisciplinary nature of this course, therefore it is required textbook for the course (about $15.00):

• Glaeser, E. (2012). Triumph of the City. How our Greatest Invention makes us Happier, Smarter, Greener, Healthier and Happier. New York: Penguin Books. (EG)

Other course materials — all other assigned readings listed in the syllabus which are not in these texts are available for download from the instructor's Canvas at https://elearn.uta.edu/

 

Course Requirements

• To attend the entire class session every week and participate in class discussions and activities. In-class activities and meetings are an integral part of our learning together.
• To complete all assignments and the assigned readings to prepare for discussions.

 

Description of Major Assignments

• Class Participation

I expect active participation guided by your careful reading of the assigned texts and respectful acknowledgment of views that may differ from yours.

• Weekly Briefs

Every week, you should write and submit a few pages, a summary of the significant points of the week's readings. You are expected to turn in each paper no later than 2 hours before the class meeting.

Please submit them via email to me and the TA. You should at least submit 12 weekly briefs to get credit. Late weekly briefs submitted will not be counted.

• Class Facilitation

The following description is the edited version for this online version of the course, which is the first time for the instructor; therefore, we could improvise as we go forward.

The first section of the class starts with the instructor's presentation. For the second section, everyone should lead or co-lead an in-class presentation and discuss the week's required readings twice per semester. In doing so, you should:

• Read the assigned readings critically and provide the class with a short summary of the lessons and the main concepts.
• Research the latest important chapter or article contributions beyond assigned readings, include your findings in your presentation and share at least one chapter or article with the class.
• Prepare a few discussion points (and questions, if needed) to foster a quality discussion in the class.
• Engage the class in a fruitful and constructive discussion/debate.

Using PowerPoint presentations is OK but should not be overly lengthy and facilitate the abovementioned points.

A typical class schedule is thus as follows:

The first section of the class

• 6.00      Instructor's Presentation
• 7.00      Questions and Answers
• 7:20      Break

The second section of the class

• 7.30      Presentation and Discussion
• 8.30      Wrap up
• 845.45 Adjourn

 

• Assignments

There are three assignments explicitly designed for the course to help students apply the spatial theories learned in the class. The thorough explanation and structure of what an assignment report should consist of will be on Canvas. The following guideline, however, provides an overview of each assignment.

Assignment 1: The first assignment deals with applying Central Place Theory, Industrial Location, Agglomeration, and other related theories to a selected area. The project is intended to help you envision or predict developments or changes for the types of activities that may develop in your study area. Similarly, the effects of the changes on urban form and spatial structure are sought. The first assignment starts on 02/9/2022 and is due on 3/13/2022.

Assignment 2: Shorter in nature, this second assignment is to help you start thinking about implications of significant changes in the metropolitan region on land price and distribution of employment and population density inside the region but more specifically in your selected study area. The second assignment starts on 3/12/2022 and is due on 4/10/2022.

Assignment 3: The last assignment aims to help you discern implications of growth and change in land use, urban form, activity pattern, design and alignments of the transportation network, etc., primarily in your focused study area. You are also expected to try to identify the primary environmental and ecological considerations in your case study. Finally, use physical and land use planning and design-related schemes (e.g., New Urbanism, TND, MUD, TOD, etc.) to envision and present what you foresee in physical developmental changes in urban form and structure in your study area. The third assignment starts on 4/02/2022 and is due on 5/01/2022.

 

• Possible Academic Paper Option

Since these assignments are intentionally designed to help students better understand the spatial structure of urban form and the driving forces behind its dynamics, they have somewhat an applied tilt. Therefore, students who prefer to be involved more in research and academic scholarship and publication choose to submit three academic papers instead of the assignments related to the same sections they cover, as mentioned above. The articles should contain about 3500 – 6000 words and roughly 13-20 pages, be high in writing style, mechanics, in-depth discussions, and academic sophistication, and be ready for submission to academic journals.

Students must prepare a short outline or a brief proposal and run it by the course instructor by 2/23/2022. The assessment of the paper will be according to the Term Paper Grading Rubric posted on Canvas. Academic Papers are due on the same deadlines as the assignments, at 11.59 PM.

All students should also make sure that their papers or reports contain the necessary parts: title, abstract, introduction, main body, discussion, conclusion, and finally, a list of references. Please use one of the accepted modes of referencing style for in-text citations and bibliography (APA, Harvard, etc.).

All students must also run their draft papers through SafeAssign or equivalents to ensure originality and authenticity. The Academic Paper/Assignments will be accepted if their matching scores are 15% or less.

 

• Final Examination

A final take-home examination covering the topics discussed during the whole semester will be given on Canvas before or on May 4^th, 2022, and will be due on May 11^th, 2022, by 11:59 PM.

We may also have an optional up to 5 bonus points towards the exam for students who submit multiple-choice questions, one for each usable question. Format and specifics will be emailed early on. A collection of the selected questions could be shared with the class. Please send the questions to the instructor and the TA.

 

Grading

Assignments	Points
Class Participation	10
Weekly Briefs	10
Class Facilitation	15
Assignments / Academic Paper	30
Final Exam	35
Total	100

 

Grade Scale	Points
A	90 +
B	80-89
C	70-79
D	60-69
E	59 -

 

Makeup Exams

If you fail to submit your assignment on time due to an emergency, contact the instructor for the possibility of an extension.

 

Course Calendar

As the instructor for this course, I reserve the right to adjust this schedule in any way that serves the educational needs of the students enrolled in the course. – A. Anjomani

 

• Week 1 – 01/19/2022 Introduction to the Course, Expectations, and Requirements

Instructor's PPT 1— Introduction to the course

MODULE 1 — S

 

• Week 2 – 01/26/2022 Geo Concept

Instructor's PPT 2— Geo Concepts / Discussion of Assignments

Required Readings:

 

• (EG) Triumph of the City

Chapter 1: What Do They Make in Bangalore?

• Fishman, R. (2000). The American Metropolis at Century's End: Past and Future Influences. Housing Policy Debate, 11(1), 199-213.

 

• Week 3 - 02/09/2022 Industrial Location Theory

Instructor's PPT 3 — Weber, Industrial Location / Geo Concepts continues

Required Readings:

• Modern Urban and Regional Economics

Chapter 1: Industrial Location: The Location of the Firm in Theory, pp. 3-23.

• (EG) Triumph of the City

Chapter 2: Why Do Cities Decline?

• Chapman, K. & Walker, D. (1991). Industrial Location: Principles and Policy. 2^nd, London: Basil Blackwell.

Chapter 2: Approaches to the Study of Industrial Location.

Recommended Readings:

• Anas, A., Arnott, R. & Small, K. R. (1998). Urban Spatial Structure, Journal of Economic Literature, 36, 1426-1464.
• Arauzo-Carod, J. M., Liviano-Solis, D., & Manjon-Antolin, M. (2010). Empirical Studies in Industrial Location: An Assessment of their Methods and Results. Journal of Regional Science, 50(3), 685-711.
• Blair, J. P., & Robert, P. (1987). Major Factors in Industrial Location: A Review. Economic Development Quarterly, 1(1), 72-85.
• Chapin, S. (1964). Selected Theories of Urban Growth and Structure. Journal of the American Institute of Planners, 30(1), 51-58.

 

• Week 4 - 02/16/2022 Industrial Location and Market Areas

Instructor's PPT 4 — Market Area Analysis Concepts 1: Weber continues/ Hotelling

PPT 4a_Demand Supply - Process of Research - Theory

Required Readings:

• Modern Urban and Regional Economics

Chapter 1: Industrial Location: The Location of the Firm in Theory, pp. 23-36.

Chapter 2: Agglomeration and Clustering.

• (EG) Triumph of the City

Chapter 3: What's Good about Slums?

• Alonso, W. (1964). Location Theory, In J. Friedman & W. Alonso (Eds.), Regional Development and Planning: A Reader (pp. 78-106). MA: MIT Press.
• Thisse, J. F., & Fujita, M. (2002) Economics of Agglomeration: Cities, Industrial Location, and Globalization. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

 Chapter 1: Agglomeration and Economic Theory.

Recommended Readings:

• Isard, W. (1949). The General Theory of Location and Space-Economy. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 63(4), 476-506.
• Fujita, M. (1999). Location and Space-Economy at half a Century: Revisiting Professor Isard's Dream on the General Theory. The Annals of Regional Science, 33, 371-381.
• Moses, L. (1958). Location and the Theory of Production. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 72(2), 259-272.
• Porter, M. E. (1998). The Adam Smith Address: Location, Clusters, and the New Microeconomics of Competition. Business Economics, 33(1), 7-13.

 

• Week 5 - 3/02/2022 Central Places, Market Areas, and Spatial Competition

Instructor's PPT 5 —Market Area Concepts 2: Losch

Required Readings:

• Modern Urban and Regional Economics

Chapter 3: The Spatial Distribution of Activities, pp.73-96.

• (EG) Triumph of the City

Chapter 4: How Were the Tenements Tamed?

• Anjomani, A. (1980) Market-Area Analysis with a Rectangular Grid Network, Environment and Planning A, 13, 943-954.
• Hartshorn, T.A. (1992). Interpreting the City: An Urban Geography, 2^nd Ed. New York: John Wiley.

Chapter 8: Central Place Theory. (Christaller's Contributions)

• Losch, A. (1938). The Nature of Economic Regions. Southern Economic Journal, 5(1), 71-78.
• Capello, R. (2014) Classical Contributions - Von Thunen, Weber, Christaller, Losch

Recommended Readings:

• Hoover, E. & Giarratani, F. (1984). An Introduction to Regional Economics. New York: Knopf Doubleday. - Chapter 4: Location Patterns Dominated by Dispersive Forces.
• Hoteling, H. (1929). Stability in Competition. The Economic Journal, 39(153), 41-57.

 

• Week 6 - 3/09/2022 Land Use Dynamics

Instructor's PPT 6 — Urban Land Use: Von Thunen/Alonso Models

Required Readings:

• (EG) Triumph of the City

Chapter 5: Is London a Luxury Resort?

• Bluestone, B., Stevenson, M. H., & Williams, R. (2008). The Urban Experience: Economics, Society, and Public Policy. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Chapter 4: Cities and Suburbs in the Late Twentieth Century: The Dynamics of Metropolitan Expansion.

• Hartshorn, T.A. (1992) Interpreting the City: An Urban Geography, 2^nd Ed. New York: John Wiley.

Chapter 11: Land Use Dynamics.

• Fujita, M. (2014) The evolution of spatial economics: from thünen to the new economic geography

Recommended Readings:

• Kaiser, E. J., & Godschalk , D. (1995). Twentieth Century Land Use Planning: A Stalwart Family Tree. Journal of the American Planning Association, 61(3), 365-385.
• O'Flaherty, B. (2005). City Economics. MA: Harvard University Press.

Chapter 6: Land.

• Theobald, D. M. (2001). Land-Use Dynamics beyond the American Urban Fringe. Geographical Review, 91(3), 544-564.

 

• Week 7 - 3/23/2022 Economic Base and Regional Growth

Instructor's PPT 7 — Growth Theory

Required Readings:

• (EG) Triumph of the City

Chapter 6: What's so Great about Skyscrapers?

• McDonald, J. F. & McMillan, D. P. (2011) Urban Economics and Real Estate: Theory and Policy, 2^nd Ed, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

Chapter 22: Models of Metropolitan Economic Growth.

• Dawkins, C. J. (2003). Regional Development Theory: Conceptual Foundations, Classic Works, and Recent Developments. Journal of Planning Literature, 18(2), 131-153.

Recommended Readings:

• Capello, R. (2009). Space, Growth and Development. In: Roberta, C., & Peter, N. (Eds.) Handbook of Regional Growth and Development Theories, (pp. 33-53), MA: Edward Elgar Publishing.
• Regional Growth Theory - Handwritten Notes

 

• 3/16/2022 SPRING BREAK

 

• Week 8 - 3/30/2022 Review of Urban Population Density: Empirical Findings

Instructor's PPT 8 — Urban Population Density Empirical Findings / Migration & Gravity

Required Readings:

• (EG) Triumph of the City

Chapter 7: Why Has Sprawl Spread?

• Bertaud, A. (2015) The Spatial Distribution of Land Prices and Densities: The Models Developed by Economists, Working Paper # 23, New York: NYU, Marron Institute of Urban Management.
• Berry, B., & Kasarda, J. (1977) Contemporary Urban Ecology. New York: Macmillan Publishing.

Chapter 5: Internal Structure of the City: Classical Views.

Chapter 6: Urban Population Densities: Structure and Change.

Recommended Readings:

• Quigley, J. M. (1998). Urban Diversity and Economic Growth, Journal of Economic Perspectives, 12(2), 127–138.
• Review of Density Empirical Findings. Instructor's notes.

 

• Week 9 - 4/06/2022 Urban Population Density Theory

Instructor's PPT 9 — Urban Density Theory

Required Readings:

• (EG)     Triumph of the City

Chapter 8: Is There Anything Greener than Blacktop?

• Anjomani, A. (1986). Toward a Time Theory of Urban Population Density and Density Gradient Dynamics, Research Paper, University of Texas at Arlington: Institute of Urban Studies.
• The Density Gradient Concept: Models and Explanations
• Jun Shi Term Paper

 

 Week 10 - 4/13/2022 Urban Form and Transportation Network

Instructor's PPT 10 — Urban Form and Transportation Network

Required Readings

• Anjomani, A. (1979). Implications of Rectangular Grid Transportation Networks for Land Use And "New Urban Economics" Models. Ph.D. Dissertation. University of Texas at Arlington.

Chapter 3: Application of Rectangular Grid Transportation To New Urban Economic Models.

• Bento, A. M., Cropper, M. L., Mobarak, A. M., &, Vinha, K. (2005). The Effects of Urban Spatial Structure on Travel Demand in the United States. The Review of Economics and Statistics, 87(3), 466–478.
• Muller, P. O. (2004). Transportation and Urban Form: Stages in the Spatial Evolution of the American Metropolis, In Susan Handy. & Genevieve Guliano. (Eds.), The Geography of Urban Transportation. 3^rd (pp. 59-85), New York: Guilford Press.
• Richardson, H. W. & Anjomani, A. (1981) The Diamond City: The Case for Rectangular Grid Models, Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, 15(6), 295-303.

Recommended Readings:

• Mindali, O., Raveh, A., & Salomon, I. (2004). Urban Density and Energy Consumption: A New Look at Old Statistics, Transportation Research A, 38, 143–162.
• Naess, P. (2004). Urban Structures and Travel Behavior: Experiences from Empirical Research in Norway and Denmark. European Journal of Transport and Infrastructure Research, 3(2), 155-178.

 

• Week 11 - 4/20/2022 Sprawl, Sub-centering, and Suburbanization

Instructor's PPT 11: Subcentering and Suburbanization

Required Readings:

• Bhatta, B. (2010). Analysis of Urban Growth and Sprawl from Remote Sensing Data. Berlin: Springer-Verlag.

Chapter 1: Urban Growth and Sprawl.

• Bhatta, B. (2010). Analysis of Urban Growth and Sprawl from Remote. Sensing Data, Advances in Geographic Information Science. Berlin: Springer-Verlag.

Chapter 2: Causes and Consequences of Urban Growth and Sprawl.

• Gordon, P., & Richardson, H. (1997). Are Compact Cities a Desirable Planning Goal? Journal of the American Planning Association, 63(1), 95-106.
• Ewing, R. (1997). Is Los Angeles-style Sprawl Desirable? Journal of the American Planning Association, 63(1), 107-126.

Recommended Readings:

• Bluestone, B., Stevenson, M. H., & Williams, R. (2008). The Urban Experience: Economics, Society, and Public Policy. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Chapter 13: Land-Use Controls, Sprawl, and Smart Growth.

• Gordon, P. & Richardson, H. (2000) Critiquing Sprawl's Critics. Policy Analysis 365.
• Nechyba, T. J., & Walsh, R. P. (2004). Urban Sprawl. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 18(4), 177-200.
• Smart Growth America (2014) Measuring Sprawl 2014. Washington, DC: Smart Growth America.

 

 Week 12 - 4/27/2022 Urban Ecosystems

Instructor's PPT 12 — Allen Jones's Report and Suitability Analysis

 A take-home examination will be given through Canvas.

Required Readings:

• (EG) Triumph of the City

Chapter 9: How Do Cities Succeed?

• Godschalk, D. (2004). Land Use Planning Challenges: Coping with Conflicts in Visions of Sustainable Development and Livable Communities. Journal of the American Planning Association, 70(1), 5-13.
• Jones et al. (2009) TXDOT Landuse Forcast Environmental Assessment.
• Nilon, C., berkowitz, A., & Hollweg, K. (2003). Understanding Urban Ecosystems: A New Frontier for Science and Education. New York: Springer.

Chapter 1: Introduction: Ecosystem Understanding Is a Key to Understanding Cities.

• Alberti, M. (2010). Maintaining Ecological Integrity and Sustaining Ecosystem Function in Urban Areas. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 2 (3), 178-184.

Recommended Readings:

• Alberti, M. (2005). The Effects of Urban Patterns on Ecosystem Function. International Regional Science Review, 28(2), 168–192.
• Alberti, M, & Marzluff, J. (2004). Ecological Resilience in Urban Ecosystems: Linking Urban Patterns to Human and Ecological Functions. Journal of Urban Ecosystems, 7(3), 241–265.

 

Let us discuss how to deal with these two lost weeks 13 and 14 below when we know better

 

• Week 13 - 4/27/2022 Design Elements and Urban Structure

Instructor's PPT 13 — Central Arlington Revitalization Presentation

Required Readings:

• (EG) Triumph of the City

Conclusion.

• Ford, L. R. (1999). Lynch revisited: New urbanism and theories of good city form. Cities, 16(4), 247-257.
• Ellis, C. (2002). The New Urbanism: Critiques and Rebuttals. Journal of Urban Design, 7(3), 261– 291.
• Anjomani, A. & Hurst, K. (2006) Central Arlington: A Development Vision. School of Urban and Public Affairs, University of Texas at Arlington.

Recommended Readings:

• Talen, E. (1999). Sense of Community and Neighborhood Form: An Assessment of the Social Doctrine of New Urbanism. Urban Studies, 36 (8). 1361-1379.

 

• Week 14 13b - 4/27/2022 The Metropolis versus the City / Echenique Article and Critics

Instructor's PPT 14 — A Brief Review of the Course and previous Presentations

Required Readings:

• Brenner, N. (2002) Decoding the Newest Metropolitan Regionalism in the USA: A Critical Overview. Cities, 19(1), 3–21.
• Echenique, M. H., Hargreaves, A.H., Michel G. & Namdeo, A. (2012). Growing Cities Sustainably, Journal of American Planning Association, 78(2), 121-137.
• Neuman, M. (2005) The Compact City Fallacy. Journal of Planning Education and Research, 25(1), 11-26.

Recommended Readings

• Mitchell-Weaver, C. Miller, D. & Deal, R. (2000) Multilevel Governance and Metropolitan Regionalism in the USA, Urban Studies, 37(5-6), 851–876.
• Ward, K., & Jonas, A. (2004). Competitive City-regionalism as a Politics of Space: a Critical Reinterpretation of the New Regionalism. Journal of Environment and Planning A, 36(12), 2119-2139.

 

• Week 15 - 5/04/2022 Student's Study—No Class

 

• Week 16 - 5/11/2022 Final Take-home Examination Due 11:59 PM

 

Attendance Policy

Regular class attendance is expected from all students (If you must miss a class due to a conflict, please let the instructor know ahead of time). Students are responsible for all course information, content, and assignments that may be missed due to absence.

 

Classroom Etiquette

 Please arrive at class on time or before the starting time. Your cell phone devices should be turned off if they cannot be set to a silent mode. Please be prepared for the class discussions. Please try to be pleasant and positive in your classroom behavior. Show respect for all class members. We can learn a great deal from each other, but this can only happen in a comfortable learning environment for everyone in the class. We have people from many different backgrounds in this class and people with many different levels of academic preparation. So please use a respectful and calm tone of voice all the time and avoid sarcasm, heavily judgmental or confrontational comments that will create an inhospitable classroom atmosphere. If you have a real need to leave early, please inform the instructor and leave quietly.

 

Drop Policy

Students may drop or swap (adding and dropping a class concurrently) classes through self-service in MyMav from the beginning of the registration period through the late registration period. After the late registration period, students must see their academic advisor to drop a class or withdraw. Undeclared students must see an advisor in the University Advising Center. Drops can continue through a point two-thirds of the way through the term or session. It is the student's responsibility to officially withdraw if they do not plan to attend after registering. Students will not be automatically dropped for non-attendance. Repayment of certain types of financial aid administered through the University may be required as the result of dropping classes or withdrawing. For more information, contact the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships (http://uta.edu/aao/fao/).

 

Disability Accommodations

UT Arlington is on record as being committed to both the spirit and letter of all federal equal opportunity legislation, including The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), The Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act (ADAAA), and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. All instructors at UT Arlington are required by law to provide "reasonable accommodations" to students with disabilities, so as not to discriminate on the basis of disability. Students are responsible for providing the instructor with official notification in the form of a letter certified by the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD). Students experiencing a range of conditions (Physical, Learning, Chronic Health, Mental Health, and Sensory) that may cause diminished academic performance or other barriers to learning may seek services and/or accommodations by contacting:

The Office for Students with Disabilities, (OSD) www.uta.edu/disability or calling 817-272-3364. Information regarding diagnostic criteria and policies for obtaining disability-based academic accommodations can be found at www.uta.edu/disability.

Counseling and Psychological Services, (CAPS)  www.uta.edu/caps/ or calling 817-272-3671 is also available to all students to help increase their understanding of personal issues, address mental and behavioral health problems and make positive changes in their lives.

Non-Discrimination Policy

The University of Texas at Arlington does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, disabilities, genetic information, and/or veteran status in its educational programs or activities it operates. For more information, visit uta.edu/eos.

 

Title IX Policy

The University of Texas at Arlington ("University") is committed to maintaining a learning and working environment that is free from discrimination based on sex in accordance with Title IX of the Higher Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX), which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in educational programs or activities; Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII), which prohibits sex discrimination in employment; and the Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act (SaVE Act). Sexual misconduct is a form of sex discrimination and will not be tolerated. For information regarding Title IX, visit www.uta.edu/titleIX or contact Ms. Jean Hood, Vice President and Title IX Coordinator at (817) 272-7091 or jmhood@uta.edu.

 

Academic Integrity

Students enrolled in this course are expected to adhere to the UT Arlington Honor Code:

I pledge, on my honor, to uphold UT Arlington's tradition of academic integrity, a tradition that values hard work and honest effort in the pursuit of academic excellence.

I promise that I will submit only work that I personally create or contribute to group collaborations, and I will appropriately reference any work from other sources. I will follow the highest standards of integrity and uphold the spirit of the Honor Code.

UT Arlington faculty members may employ the Honor Code as they see fit in their courses, including (but not limited to) having students acknowledge the honor code as part of an examination or requiring students to incorporate the honor code into any work submitted. Per UT System Regents' Rule 50101, §2.2, suspected violations of university's standards for academic integrity (including the Honor Code) will be referred to the Office of Student Conduct. Violators will be disciplined in accordance with University policy, which may result in the student's suspension or expulsion from the University.

 

Electronic Communication

UT Arlington has adopted MavMail as its official means to communicate with students about important deadlines and events, as well as to transact university-related business regarding financial aid, tuition, grades, graduation, etc. All students are assigned a MavMail account and are responsible for checking the inbox regularly. There is no additional charge to students for using this account, which remains active even after graduation. Information about activating and using MavMail is available at http://www.uta.edu/oit/cs/email/mavmail.php.

 

Student Feedback Survey

At the end of each term, students enrolled in classes categorized as "lecture," "seminar," or "laboratory" shall be directed to complete an online Student Feedback Survey (SFS). Instructions on how to access the SFS for this course will be sent directly to each student through MavMail approximately 10 days before the end of the term. Each student's feedback enters the SFS database anonymously and is aggregated with that of other students enrolled in the course. UT Arlington's effort to solicit, gather, tabulate, and publish student feedback is required by state law and aggregate results are posted online. Data from SFS is also used for faculty and program evaluations. For more information, visit http://www.uta.edu/sfs.

 

Final Review Week

A period of five class days prior to the first day of final examinations in the long sessions shall be designated as Final Review Week. The purpose of this week is to allow students sufficient time to prepare for final examinations. During this week, there shall be no scheduled activities such as required field trips or performances; and no instructor shall assign any themes, research problems or exercises of similar scope that have a completion date during or following this week unless specified in the class syllabus. During Final Review Week, an instructor shall not give any examinations constituting 10% or more of the final grade, except makeup tests and laboratory examinations. In addition, no instructor shall give any portion of the final examination during Final Review Week. During this week, classes are held as scheduled. In addition, instructors are not required to limit content to topics that have been previously covered; they may introduce new concepts as appropriate.

 

Emergency Exit Procedures

Should we experience an emergency event that requires us to vacate the building, students should exit the room and move toward the nearest exit, which is located up the stairs. When exiting the building during an emergency, one should never take an elevator but should use the stairwells. Faculty members and instructional staff will assist students in selecting the safest route for evacuation and will make arrangements to assist individuals with disabilities.

 

The IDEAS Center

(2nd Floor of Central Library) offers free tutoring to all students with a focus on transfer students, sophomores, veterans and others undergoing a transition to UT Arlington. To schedule an appointment with a peer tutor or mentor email IDEAS@uta.edu or call (817) 272-6593.

 

The English Writing Center (411LIBR)

The Writing Center Offers free tutoring in 20-, 40-, or 60-minute face-to-face and online sessions to all UTA students on any phase of their UTA coursework. Our hours are 9 AM to 8 PM Mon.-Thurs., 9 AM-3 PM Fri. and Noon-6 pm Sat. and Sun. Register and make appointments online at http://uta.mywconline.com. Classroom Visits, workshops, and specialized services for graduate students are also available. Please see www.uta.edu/owl for detailed information on all our programs and services. The Library's 2nd floor Academic Plaza offers students a central hub of support services, including IDEAS Center, University Advising Services, Transfer UTA and various college/school advising hours. Services are available during the library's hours of operation. http://library.uta.edu/academic-plaza.