Urban Planning 208A

PhD Colloquium on Planning Research Design

Fall 2015
Days/Time:
Location:

Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2:00 pm to 3:15 pm

6274 Public Affairs Building

Instructor:

Brian Taylor (2015-16 Director of the Urban Planning PhD

program)

Office:
Telephone:
Appointments:
E-mail:

3320H Public Affairs Building

310.903.3228
Make appointments at:
https://briantaylorappts.youcanbook.me/
btaylor@g.ucla.edu

Overview
This is the first of a required three course PhD program sequence in
research design. The goals of this first class are (i) to introduce you to
the Urban Planning PhD program at UCLA, including our faculty and
your peers; (ii) to expose you to the epistemologies of planning
research via a series of faculty and student presentations, and (iii) to
guide the development of your PhD program Plan of Study, which is an
agreement among your principal faculty adviser, the PhD program
Director, and you on the specific steps you will need to take in order to
complete the Urban Planning PhD program.
The second course in this series is a more formal course on research
design, and the third is a seminar that guides you through the
preparation of a PhD dissertation proposal.

Requirements
Standing:

This course is required of all entering Urban Planning PhD

students; all others can enroll only with the permission of
the instructor. UCLA Luskin PhD students may sit in on the
faculty presentations without securing advance permission
to do so.

Expectations:

To pass this course, students are required to:

1. Attend and actively participate in all class sessions;

2. Do the considerable reading and legwork required to
prepare a PhD program Plan of Study

Page 1 of 4

a. Complete and post all of the required weekly

written assignments to the course website by 2:00
pm on Mondays
3. Secure approval of the plan of study from your principal
faculty adviser, the Urban Planning Student Affairs
Officer, and the Urban Planning PhD Program Director.
Attendance:
This is a small, interactive seminar and active class
participation is essential. Any student who misses more
than the equivalent of two scheduled class sessions (or 2.5
hours of class time) will be required to write 3,000 word
literature review paper on some aspect of research design
in order to receive a Satisfactory grade. Any student who
misses more than the equivalent of four scheduled class
sessions (more than 5 hours of class time) will be required
to repeat the course the following fall.
Grading:

Satisfactory (equivalent of a B or better)/Unsatisfactory

(equivalent of a B- or less)

Course Calendar
Class
Session

Topic

Orientation
Week

Due: Meet with your faculty advisers to get acquainted

Thursday
(9/24) 23:15
pm

The PhD in Urban Planning

Professor Brian Taylor

Week 1

Nothing due
The nuts and bolts of the Urban
Planning PhD program

Taylor and Alexis

Saxauer

Faculty presentation: Identifying

researchable questions

Professor Evelyn
Blumenberg

Tuesday
(9/29) 23:15
pm
Thursday
(10/1) 23:15
pm
Week 2

Tuesday
(10/6) 23:15
pm
Thursday
(10/8) 23:15
pm

Session Leader(s)

Due: Meet with your two faculty advisers to discuss your

P.o.S.
Plan of Study Identifying a major Taylor
field
Faculty presentation: Thinking
through threats to validity

Page 2 of 4

Taylor

Week 3

Tuesday
(10/13) 2
3:15 pm
Thursday
(10/15) 2
3:15 pm
Week 4

Tuesday
(10/20) TBA
Thursday
(10/22) 2
3:15 pm
Week 5

Tuesday
(10/27) 2
3:15 pm
Thursday
(10/29) 2
3:15 pm

Week 6

Tuesday
(11/3) TBA
Thursday
(11/5) 23:15
pm
Week 7

Tuesday
(11/10) 2
3:15 pm
Thursday
(11/12) 2
3:15 pm
Week 8

Tuesday
(11/17) 2
3:15 pm
Thursday
(11/19) 2
3:15 pm

Due: Draft one page description of your major field

Plan of Study Identifying
Taylor
subfields
Faculty presentation: Designing
quantitative research in planning

Professor JR DeShazo

Due: Revised one page description of major field, plus three

page descriptions of your sub-fields
No class Individual Plan of Study Taylor
meetings
Faculty presentation: Designing
Professor Ananya Roy
qualitative research in planning
Due: Three suggested examining committee members,
revised one page description of major field, and three
page descriptions of sub-fields
Plan of Study Develop reading
Taylor
list
Faculty presentation: 1 question,
2 countries, and 2.5
methodologies: Using mostly
qualitative methods to study lowwage work

Professor Christopher
Tilly

Due: Draft reading lists for each of your three sub-fields

No class Individual Plan of Study Taylor
meetings
Faculty presentation: Conducting
Professor Susanna Hecht
international planning research
Due: Final reading lists for each of your sub-fields
Plan of Study Coursework,
Taylor
preparation, timeline
Faculty presentation: Bridging
the urban design/social science
divide

Professor Dana Cuff

Due: Final coursework plan plus timeline

No class Individual Plan of Study Taylor
meetings
Graduate presentations:
Surviving, thriving in the PhD
program
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Karolina Gorska, Karna

Wong

Week 9

Tuesday
(11/24) 2
3:15 pm
Thursday
(11/26)
Week 10

Tuesday
(12/1) 23:15
pm
Thursday
(12/3) 23:15
pm

Due: Complete draft Plan of Study

Student presentations: 1st half of
Class members
the Plans of Study presentations
No class Thanksgiving holiday

None

Due: Final Plan of Study submitted for approval

Student presentations: 2nd half of Class members
the Plans of Study presentations
Faculty presentation: Planning
scholarship: From where has it
come, and to where is it headed?

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Distinguished Professor
Emeritus Martin Wachs