Urban Sociology
This concentration focuses on an analysis of various social issues, social problems, and policy responses that are of particular importance to cities and suburbs. It includes the study of urban labor markets, housing, income and racial inequality, environmental policy, urban education, smart growth, and social welfare programs. The impact of political, economic, and social factors on policy development and implementation is analyzed from a domestic and global perspective.
A. Sociology Faculty Who List as Area
B. Sociology Graduate Courses Taught in Concentration(s)—Last 5 Years
| SOC G255 | Urban Sociology | SOC G251 | Community Analysis (Rabrenovic) | SOC G238 | Sociology of Education (Rabrenovic) | SOC G317 | Urban Social Policies (Bluestone) |
C. NU Graduate Courses Taught in this Concentration
| ECN G260 | Urban Economic Development | POL G315 | Urban Development | ED G335 | Race and Urban Education | LAW G358 | Welfare Law | LAW G519 | Community Economic Development Law | ECN G262 | Regional Economic Theory | ED G375 | Schools, Families, Communities |
- M. Shahid Alam, Professor of Economics
- Christopher Bosso, Associate Professor of Political Science
- Helen C. Connelly, Assistant Professor of Economics
- Joan Fitzgerald, Associate Professor of Education
- Robert Hall, Associate Professor of African-American Studies and History
- Daryl Hellman, Professor and Graduate Coordinator of Economics
- Jean-Philippe Stijns, Assistant Professor of Economics
- Andrew Sum, Professor of Economics, Director of Center for Labor Market Studies
E. Affiliated Interdisciplinary Programs and Centers
Center for Urban and Regional Policy
The Center for Urban and Regional Policy at Northeastern University, founded in 1999, is a "think and do tank"—a place where faculty, staff, and students pool their expertise, resources, and commitment to address a wide range of issues facing cities, towns, and suburbs with particular emphasis on the Greater Boston region.
Members of the CURP staff are involved in a wide array of projects, all aimed at helping policymakers and citizens better understand the dimensions of urban issues. Projects currently under way address housing, workforce development, community economic development, education, and information access. CURP now has 8 people on its staff, with 11 people working as consultants or collaborating on CURP projects.
The immediate CURP staff is led by Director Barry Bluestone, Associate Director Joan Fitzgerald, Senior Research Associate David Soule, Managing Editor Sarach Heim, and Executive Coordinator Heather Seligman. The staff not only has deep experience in academic research and teaching, but also impressive experience working with government agencies, community organizations, advocacy groups, and consulting firms. The CURP staff's mix of theoretical and practical capacity provides a strong foundation for its research and projects.
CURP also works with a number of associates at Northeastern University and throughout Greater Boston. These associates are not on the staff of CURP but play important roles in developing and implementing research and community action projects. CURP staff members meet with these associates on a regular basis. Many associates play an important role in CURP's funded projects, while others offer their expertise behind the scenes and at forums and special events sponsored by CURP.
The Institute of Urban Health Research
The IUHR's seven faculty, three graduate fellows and nine research staff are focusing research on health issues that disproportionately impact urban communities, such as substance abuse, HIV/AIDS prevention and policy, interventions for children diagnosed with asthma, cardiovascular disease behavioral interventions, nutrition behavioral interventions with school age children, traditional Chinese health practices, racial and ethnic differences in service delivery patterns, and brain mechanisms involved in opiate tolerance. The goal of the IUHR is to improve the health of urban populations through the generation of knowledge that informs health policies, disease prevention programs and health services. In its first year of funding, the IUHR received more than content content content ¤1.4 million in research and training grants and has partnered with the Boston Public Health Commission, Massachusetts Department of Public Health and community health centers. In addition to these agencies, the IUHR's Advisory Board includes representation from Partners Health Care, Boston Public Schools, Blue Cross/Blue Shield as well as nationally renowned scholars from diverse institutions throughout the country. Founded in 2002.