Rob Shields work spans architecture, planning and urban geography. He is an award-winning author and co-editor of numerous books including Spatial Questions, The Virtual, Lifestyle Shopping, Cultures of Internet, Lefebvre Love and Struggle, Places on the Margin, and Building Tomorrow: Innovation in Construction and Engineering as well as online projects such as strip-appeal.com and spaceandculture.com Before being awarded the University of Alberta's Henry Marshall Tory Endowed Research Chair in Sociology, Dr. Shields was Professor of Sociology and past Director of the Institute of Interdisciplinary Studies at Carleton University, Ottawa. A Commonwealth Scholar at University of Sussex, Robs early career was in passive solar design which he studied at Carleton University's School of Architecture. He founded Space and Culture, an international peer-refereed journal, and Curb Canadian planning magazine. He was 2014 City of Vienna Visiting Professor in Architecture and Planning at TUWien and is currently completing research on nanotechnology as a space of concern.
Please see my website: http://www.ualberta.ca/~rshields
I have extensive contributions and experience in current social and cultural theory, virtual and material culture studies. I teach on urban culture, social space, situations, places, spatialisation and cultural topology.
Space and Culture research group meets every two weeks during the academic year. Occasional information is posted at https://www.facebook.com/groups/400433386690572/
For upcoming talks by the Tory Chair, see the calendar link.
Please see my Teaching link to a calendar of public talks
and the facebook page for the Space and Culture Research Group that meets every 2 weeks.
Examination of the human dimensions of climate change. Topics include climate change politics, public perceptions and impacts, vulnerability and resilience, mitigation and adaptation. Prerequisite: Any 300-level EAS, HGP or HGEO course or Consent of Instructor. Not available for students with credit in HGP 452.
Winter Term 2022The significance of urban social spaces and environments, architecture, planning, design and material culture. Prerequisite: SOC 100 or consent of instructor.
Winter Term 2022