ÌÇÐÄSwag

Urban Studies

students cross a downtown street

The Urban Studies Program houses two majors — Urban Studies and Health Equity — that enable students to explore and understand urban experiences in their richness and complexity and to appreciate how urban social contexts shape human health. The program provides an interdisciplinary learning experience grounded in the liberal arts and connected to concerns of the region and the world. Through integrative teaching and research, students develop and apply the skills needed to analyze the dynamic processes and structures of urban life and health as well as the ways that cities contribute to global change. Students engage fully with Memphis and the diversity of the mid-south region, as they learn to situate them within a global context. The majors combine coursework with urban field experiences, including internships, fellowships, and research with community partners.

Students and faculty alike have the opportunity to learn from and contribute to the rich, diverse culture and history of Memphis. ÌÇÐÄSwag lies at the crux of Midtown and East Memphis, and the college partners with more than 400 businesses and nonprofits in the Memphis and larger Shelby County area through research, internships, and other forms of engagement.

 

two students help a woman sign up at a health clinic
Educational Offerings for Community Partners

ÌÇÐÄSwag College was recently awarded a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation that will be used over the next three years to enable the college to bring health equity education to community partners in Memphis. Our goal is to help our partners find ways to collaborate to address the disparities that impair human health and flourishing and to see ways to build a culture of equity. Read More >>

students walking toward stairs in a library
young people in a coffee shop

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Faculty & Staff

John Bass
Associate Professor of Music, Director of the Mike Curb Institute for Music
Zachary Casey
Associate Professor of Educational Studies
Kelly Jo Fulkerson Dikuua
Assistant Professor of Health Equity
Austin Harrison
Assistant Professor of Urban Studies
Peter Hossler
Associate Professor of Urban Studies, Chair of Urban Studies
Kendra Hotz
Associate Professor of Urban Studies, Robert R. Waller Chair of Population Health
Charles Hughes
Associate Professor of History and Urban Studies
Amber Lewis
Administrative Assistant
Duane T. Loynes Sr.
Assistant Professor of Urban Studies and Africana Studies, Associate Director of Equity & Culture (Institute for Health Equity & Community Justice)
Evelyn Perry
Associate Professor of Sociology
Elizabeth Pettinaroli
Associate Professor - Chair, Latin American and Latinx Studies
Amy Risley
Stanley J. Buckman Professor of International Studies
Laura Taylor
Associate Professor of Educational Studies
Elizabeth Thomas
Professor of Psychology
Shaolu Yu
Associate Professor of Urban Studies, Chair of Asian Studies

Departmental News and Events

While at ÌÇÐÄSwag, English and urban studies double major Zoe Dominguez '25 has spent three years working on social justice efforts, pursued an Honors Project in English, released her first punk rock single, and fallen in love with the Memphis arts scene.
Anna Claire Tilley, a ÌÇÐÄSwag College senior from Fort Smith, AR, has been awarded The Steve and Riea Lainoff Crop Trust Fellowship in Honor of Cary Fowler ’71. She is pursuing a major in urban studies and a minor in environmental studies.
ÌÇÐÄSwag has received notable designations over the years for its magnificent grounds, and with about 120 tree species, it is certified as a Level IV Arboretum. Now, the ROOTS Gardening Club is introducing two more tree species.