I teach courses to undergraduate, Master’s and doctoral students in urban planning, geography, architecture, and civil engineering on sustainable urban development, urban infrastructure, research methods, and related topics. All of my teaching follows a transdisciplinary, research-led approach that makes tangible connections between urban theory and practice.
Undergraduate
Infrastructure and Urban Change
Spring 2014, Spring 2015, Autumn 2015
This course unit provides an opportunity for students to study the co-evolution of technology and cities using theories and case studies from urban history, science & technology studies, urban geography, planning, and architecture. We will explore theoretical and historical ideas about cities and infrastructure as well as contemporary issues about infrastructure trends and debates. The course unit will also provide opportunities to develop research skills to study infrastructure. Oxford Road will serve as the focus of study because of its close proximity to the University and its growing importance to Manchester. The knowledge and skills taught in this course unit will allow students to develop a critical perspective on technology and society as it relates to cities of the past, present, and future.
Sustainable Urbanism
Spring 2010, Spring 2011, Spring 2012, Spring 2013
Over the past three decades, notions of sustainability and sustainable development have emerged as guiding principles of urban development. There is increasing recognition among a wide variety of urban actors – designers, public policy makers, academic scholars, private businesses, non-profit organisations, and the public – that cities are both the cause of unsustainable conditions as well as the key to more economically viable, socially robust, and environmentally benign futures. In this module, we will study theories and practices of sustainable urban development across multiple scales, from buildings and neighbourhoods to districts, cities, and regions. The lectures will primarily address urban issues in the Global North although a few ideas and examples from developing countries will also be included.
Urban Futures
Autumn 2013
In this course unit, we will compare and contrast some of the most prominent ideas about urban futures across multiple scales, from buildings and neighbourhoods to districts, cities, and regions. Students are expected to gain in-depth knowledge of the ideas that inform debates on sustainability, resilience, and liveability as they relate to cities, and to understand how these ideas are transformed into real world interventions. Likewise, students should develop a detailed understanding of the opportunities and constraints offered by various contexts and how particular design ideas include implicit assumptions about what is ‘good’, ‘desirable’, or ‘ideal’. Through the development of a critical and comparative sensibility on contemporary urban theories and practices, students will have the opportunity to develop a wide range of insights and strategies to inform their future activities as designers, civil servants, politicians, and citizens.
Nanotechnology and Science Revolution
Autumn 2006, Spring 2007
This course uses the emerging fields of nanoscience and nanotechnology to explore the complex relationship between society and technology. Studying scientific phenomena at very small scales has been a common practice for over a century but the recent emphasis on nanoscale research, design, and manufacturing has the potential to revolutionize almost all facets of human life from computer chips to cosmetics, cancer detection, and tennis rackets. Many commentators have touted this new field as ‘the Next Industrial Revolution’.
Engineering Ethics
Autumn 2005
What does it mean to be an “ethical” engineer? Are there inherent values in the practice of engineering that are important to understand? Do engineers have particular responsibilities to their employers, fellow workers, the general public, and to themselves? Should ethics even matter to engineers? In this course, we will address these questions from a variety of perspectives. First, we will examine where the profession of engineering came from, why it is considered a profession, and what makes it different from other professions such as doctors and lawyers. We will then explore the field of ethics as it relates to engineering practice and use this framework to examine several case studies of ethical problems in engineering. Finally, we will discuss the concepts of environmental protection and sustainability to understand how they relate to engineering ethics. The course is intended to promote greater reflection by engineers on their activities and better understand the social dimensions of engineering practice.
Master’s
Urban Process
Autumn 2022, Autumn 2023
Sustainability goals are now common drivers of urban development. Politicians, policymakers, practitioners, and residents engage in multiple activities to integrate social equity with environmental protection and economic prosperity. Meanwhile, the outcomes of these activities are contingent upon how these stakeholders frame, strategize and act upon the built environment. This course focuses on urban change processes and how they contribute to sustainable urban development. The course is structured around lectures, seminars, workshops, tutorials and site visits. Lectures will provide new insights on contemporary urban sustainability topics including legislation and planning, dialogue and democracy, co-creation and co-building, and innovation. The seminars will complement the lectures by providing an opportunity for students to actively deliberate and debate about specific topics and to develop their analytic skills. Workshops will be used for extended discussions about researching urban processes. Tutorials will be used to provide individual and group support on the Final Project. Finally, site visits to Brunnshög and Copenhagen will provide opportunities to see urban processes in action.
Theory of Science and Research Methodology for Planning and Design
Spring 2020, Spring 2021
The primary aim of this course is to provide the prospective planner or architect the necessary understanding and analytical tools to be able to make informed judgments about the quality and relevance of knowledge claims, and to gain an understanding of how knowledge – and specifically ‘scientific’ knowledge – is produced, verified and translated into professional practice in contemporary societies, especially within the academic disciplines closely related to the broader practice fields of planning and architecture. A second aim of the course is to serve as a primer in general academic research methodology and practice, including practical skills covering issues such as how to conduct a proper literature overview, write a research question, structure a scientific argument, and so on. These skills will provide a strong foundation for the final Masters’ Thesis project in Year 2. The course thus provides the basic practical skills necessary to use theories to develop ideas, to choose suitable research methods to answer operative research questions and to evaluate and present results, in both an academic and a professional context.
Urban Infrastructure
Spring 2018, Spring 2019, Spring 2020, Spring 2021
This course provides an opportunity for students to study the co-evolution of technology and cities using theories and case studies from urban history, science & technology studies, urban geography, planning, and architecture. The course explores historical and theoretical ideas about cities and infrastructure as well as contemporary issues that address infrastructure trends and debates. The course also provides students with the opportunity to develop research skills to study infrastructure networks. The knowledge and skills taught in this course will allow students to develop a critical perspective on technology and society as it relates to cities of the past, present, and future.
PhD
Future Energy Challenges
Autumn 2015
This course unit provides a multi-disciplinary exploration of the key energy challenges of the twenty-first century as well as the technical, economic, and social solutions being devised to address them. The unit will consist of guest lectures by experts from academia and industry who will present the latest findings and insights on topics ranging from renewable energy generation and the security and reliability of existing power networks to changes in end use demand. Presentations of about 40 minutes will be followed by active deliberation between the speakers and the students on the presented topics. The course unit will provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the numerous ways that energy generation, transmission, distribution, and use is changing and the attendant implications of these changes.
Andrew Karvonen 