Minor in Geography and Urban Studies

The Minor in Geography and Urban Studies (GUS) at NTU is a program that introduces students to spatial thinking about our contemporary societies, urban development and the physical environment. GUS is based in the School of Social Sciences (SSS) in the College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (HASS) but actively cross-lists elective courses from the School of Art, Design and Media (ADM), School of Humanities (SoH), Asian School for the Environment (ASE) and National Institute of Education (NIE).

Space plays a critical role in shaping societal and environmental changes. Its influence in ordering growth, ways of life and politics of development is often invisible but significant. As many parts of the world enter into urbanization and the urban way of life, our relationship with space is intensified. GUS' distinctive focus is to introduce and equip undergraduate students with a set of spatial lenses to understand and analyse society and its organization. For this purpose, GUS draws on multiple disciplines including sociology, political science, history, art, ecology and policy to develop students' appreciation and awareness that the role of space plays in shaping urban life, public discourses and policy decisions.

A key aspect of the Minor in GUS is the opportunity it offers students to develop a theory-practice framework to understand our contemporary societies and cities. Courses in Geography enrich students with a theoretical understanding of space, while courses in Urban Planning enable students to learn how to effect practical change to urban spaces. Therefore, we envision the GUS program to equip graduates with the capability to critically address the problems of contemporary societies and to creatively pursue possibilities for alternative urban futures.