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Individualized Study Plan
Anthony Marris Swann
University of Washington
Community Environment and Planning Class of 2018
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Table of Contents
Letter of Introduction
Course Program
2016-17
Autumn
Winter
Spring
2017-18
Autumn
Winter
Spring
Visual Map of Courses
Internship Goals
Senior Project Plans
Extracurricular Goals
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Letter of Introduction
When I applied to the Community Environment and Planning (CEP) major, I had some vague
notions of working as an urban planner at some point in the future. I had just finished a
community college program that felt very much like a chore after several years living and
working outside of an academic environment. I knew that I was fascinated by cities and the
process of seeking to understand them better. I had some conception of planning as a broad and
diverse field, but little idea of where I most wanted to go within it.
I have had the good fortune of having been able to spend time traveling internationally after
high school. After briefly attending NYU as a music major, I bought a ticket to Mumbai, India
that departed on my 18th birthday. I said goodbye to my parents at Penn Station and hopped on
the A Train toward JFK. I saw them again a year later, after traveling through India, Nepal,
Thailand, Burma, Malaysia, and finally Seattle, the city I chose to call home. I believe this
experience was deeply formative for me, and it opened my eyes to a wider view of the world and
new possibilities for my future.
Now that I am nearing the end of my first quarter at UW, I have a much clearer view of where
I’d like to put my focus over the next two years. I plan to develop a skill set that will help me to
communicate ideas about urban systems and theory to a broad audience. Specifically, I would
like to learn how to use the internet as a platform for educating by sharing stories about urban
issues, in the same vein as The Atlantic’s CityLab or NextCity. In this way, I hope to encourage
wider literacy about the issues facing communities in the United States, build channels of
communication between different groups, and work toward bridging the gap between
government and private life.
Ultimately, I would like to work with underserved populations in the United States, including
poor, rural communities, refugee and migrant communities, communities of Color, and
economically stagnant communities such as those in the Northeast Rust Belt. I believe there is
an urgent need to develop innovative solutions to intractable problems in these communities,
and that despite growing political division, there are many opportunities to have the
conversations that can get us started on work toward those solutions.
Thus far, I have learned a great deal about the kinds of work I enjoy most in the field, and I’ve
been truly surprised by some of them. For instance, working with Geographic Information
System (GIS) software has been an unexpected pleasure for me, and I am eager to learn more
and expand that skill set.
I have also had the opportunity to learn more about what I don’t enjoy and don’t find
particularly useful. The political, sociological and psychological lenses of urban planning, while
crucially important in the field in general, don’t capture and hold my interest in the way that
technical skill building does.
My primary focus as a student will be on developing the technical skills that will allow me to
work toward these goals. Those skills include GIS and other relevant software, including
design and publishing software, communications skills like writing and photography, as well as
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interpersonal communication skills like facilitating meetings, listening, motivational
interviewing, negotiation and conflict resolution.
I also understand the importance of building a robust knowledge base to fortify and
complement technical skills. The urban planning and geography courses below will add to that
knowledge base and lend a strong background in history, context and theory to my
professional scope.
I hope to bring the unique set of skills and experiences that CEP provides to my work as a
planning professional. It affords great opportunities for growth and development that other
majors simply don’t. I plan to carry the CEP values with me throughout my career, and I am
looking forward to spending the next five quarters with my learning community.
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Autumn 2016
CEP 300: Retreat
Focuses on planning analysis assessment and development of the major. Opportunities for
community building and all-major policy deliberation and decisions. Workshops for skill
building in consensus, facilitation, and for major-specific activities such as developing individual
study plans and study abroad experiences.
CEP 301: The Idea of Community
A Western Philosophy course focused on community. Explores theories of community and
communal rights and responsibilities by reading a series of philosophy texts, including
Aristotle, Locke, Rousseau, Marx and others. Particular emphasis on in-class discussion and
written reflections.
CEP 400: Governance Practicum (taken every quarter)
Emphasizes personal and collective leadership, democratic decision making, and learning
through direct action and reflection. Explores and develops students' personal skills as doers
and leaders, while also learning how to form and function as effective group.
URBDP 404: Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (M)
Introductory course covering basic practical knowledge of Geographical Information Systems
and Science for current and future coursework in urban planning. Includes basic elements and
operations of ESRI ArcGIS software using weekly lab assignments. This course will develop
technical GIS skills that will help in representing information graphically. This will allow me
to better communicate complex ideas using maps.
URBDP 405: The Urban Form
Elements, patterns, and evolution of urban form. The forces that shaped cities in history.
Contemporary trends. Methods of urban morphological analysis as related to urban design and
planning practices. This course will introduce me to the historical development of the built
environment in cities and give me a better context and knowledge base for dealing with urban
issues relating to form.
URBDP 598: Race and Social Justice
Seminar style discussion group concerning issues of race and social justice in the Urban
Planning profession. Emphasis on African-American segregation in American communities and
the American criminal justice system.
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Winter 2016
CEP 302: Environmental Response
Explores issues of environmental crisis and societal responses. Readings and reflective analysis
from broad selection of authoritative sources to develop grounded perspective in ecological
literacy and consciousness. Concurrently, experiential education in challenges and practical
responses to building sustainable society through participation in community-based
environmental effort.
URBDP 422: Urban and Regional Geospatial Analysis (M)
Principles of GIS applied to problems in urban design and planning, landscape architecture, and
environmental and resource studies. Practical problem-solving approaches using contemporary
desktop mapping packages and vector and raster GIS systems. Siting, environmental
evaluation and inventories, and modeling. This intermediate GIS class will continue to develop
my skill set, and introduces the additional element of working with real clients in the region.
RE 510: Introduction to Real Estate
Provides a basic overview of the participants, processes, workings of different components of
the real estate industry (including a variety of uses spanning from residential, office, retail and
industrial to specialized) as well as the quantitative components of the real estate decisionmaking. Additionally, students are introduced to an overview of construction management,
sustainability, corporate services, property law and ethics. This class will give me an
understanding of the different forces at work in the world of real estate. It will introduce me to
some basic knowledge about laws and public policy.
URBDP xxx: LINK Light Rail Planning and Design Studio
Explores conceptual designs for prospective light rail station in North Seattle. Student designs
created during the course will provide guidance to the City of Seattle for the planning and site
design of a new station at 130th Street in North Seattle. This studio class will give me the
opportunity to work with a team and develop design solutions for a real world problem. It will
give me some insight into what goes into the design process, and allow me to learn important
skills from other students.
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Spring 2016
CEP 303: Social Structures and Processes
Investigates use of formal and informal social structures and processes within context of
community and environment. Looks at patterns and institutions of social organization and
relationships among different sectors. Issues of interrelatedness, citizenship, knowledge, and
communication
URBDP 470: Introduction to Urban Design
Definitions and examples of urban design; heritage of urban design; theories of city building;
the role of urban design in the fields of architecture, landscape architecture, and urban
planning. This class will broaden my knowledge of design and help me to build a vocabulary
that will be useful in communicating ideas and discussing elements of the built environment.
GEOG 465: GIS Database and Programming (M)
Explores GIS database models, database development, and database management systems used
in GIS. Uses programming languages most applicable to GIS database work, particularly
related to extending current commercial GIS such as ArcGIS. This advanced GIS class will
continue to expand my skill set and give me an idea of how these systems are designed. It will
also give me a better grasp of data and data management, which will be helpful in gathering,
organizing, and interpreting data in the future.
GEOG 469: Geographic Information Systems Workshop (M)
Practices experience applying geographic information system (GIS) tools to analyze spatial
data. Workshop format involves team-based work on GIS application project in various
subfields of geography for community or university partners; encourages diverse backgrounds
in various subfields of geography. A team based GIS class will give me the opportunity to
experience the process of solving GIS problems while working closely with others. It will
sharpen my skills and invite possible future collaboration with colleagues in the class.
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Autumn 2017
CEP 460: Planning in Context
Examines theory against backdrop of practice for broad historical understanding of social,
political, environmental planning. Critique from viewpoints, e.g., planning history, ethics,
ecofeminism, environmental justice, class and capitalism, planning and global economy.
Develop personalized history reflecting individual experience, professional experience, and
philosophical heritage of planning profession.
CEP 490: Senior Project Preparation Seminar I
Supports the conceptualization and planning of senior project/capstone work. Focuses on
selecting a project, beginning a literature review, finding a mentor, and developing a plan.
URBDP 450: Introduction to Land Use, Growth Management and Environmental Planning
Provides an understanding of contemporary land use issues (including sprawl, smart growth,
new urbanism, transit-oriented development, and Washington's Growth Management Act) and
examines their environmental impact and social welfare implications. Analyzes best-practice
techniques of growth management. This course will introduce me to more of the knowledge
base expected among planning professionals, and will give me insight into how policy plays a
role in the development of cities. I hope to gain a better understanding of the issues facing the
Seaettle region, and the scope of solutions that planners can offer.
COM 360: Foundations of Multiplatform Journalism (M)
Introduces content creation, content curation, and audience-engagement techniques for
journalists. This course will help me to build the skill set I need to effectively communicate
complex ideas to a wide audience. It will intorduce me to techniques and software, as well as
vocabulary, that will be helpful in developing content in the professional world.
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Winter 2017
CEP 461: Ethics and Identity
Examination of personal, societal, vocational, environmental, planning ethics. Readings and
discourse on ethical foundations for public life. Individual and group readings on values, human
potential. Develops understanding of ecological context, moral responsibility, self-awareness.
Constructs positive, diverse view of humanity, environment regardless of race, gender,
ethnicity, beliefs.
CEP 491: Senior Project Preparation Seminar II
Focuses on implementing the senior capstone project, including revisions and updates as seen
fit.
GEOG 271: Geography of Food and Eating
Examines development of world food economy, current responses to instabilities and crises,
and issues relating to obesity, hunger, and inequality in relation to food systems. Explores
political, social, and economic dimensions of food and eating in particular spaces, places,
environments, contexts, and regions. Uses the theme of food and eating to examine key
concepts from human geography and thereby provides an introduction to the discipline. This
class will help me to understand food systems and how they relate to the built environment. I
hope to gain some insight into the roll that food plays in urban planning, and how planners can
use knowledge about food systems to inform their perspective when making planning decisions.
URBDP 503: Communication and Analysis
Development of communication skills understanding within the planning and design process.
Presentation of communications as a design process with mental, visual, oral, written, and
kinesthetic cognitive actions combined to form communications thinking. This planning
focused class will contribute to my communication skill set. It will help me understand how to
communicate complex ideas to a wide audience in a helpful way. I hope that it will allow me to
have conversations with diverse groups and individuals about difficult problems facing urban
areas.
COM 361: Advanced Multiplatform Journalism (M)
Advanced techniques in content creation, content curation, and audience engagement for
journalists. This course will continue to build my communication skills and contribute more
advanced techniques to my skill set. I hope I will gain a better understanding of content
creation and the ability to communicate with a wide audience.
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Spring 2017
CEP 462: Community and Environment
Capstone quarter merges core seminars, disciplinary courses in major, community field
experiences for mastery of personal knowledge and skills. Reflection and synthesis of themes in
major; engagement with contemporary issues. Compares theoretical definitions of community
and environment with individual philosophies and knowledge within thoughtful, applied
context.
GEOG 478: Social Justice and the City (D)
Provides a link between general theories of urban inequality and their specific manifestation in
the United States. Explores a series of themes related to contemporary urbanization processes
including the recent mortgage crisis, segregation, gentrification, enclaves, fortification,
redevelopment, homelessness, and the loss of public space. This course will allow me to engage
with the difficult issues I am concerned about in a way that relates to urban planning. I hope
that I will be able to use a more robust skill set to encourage a broader understanding of social
justice issues among a politically diverse audience.
URBDP 519: Qualitative Research Methods (M)
Qualitative research methods covering both the theoretical foundations and practical
methodologies of traditional and innovative approaches, including cognitive mapping, openended interviews, ethnographic observation, hermeneutics, phenomenology, critical theory,
communicative action, grass-roots empowerment, post-structuralism, and self-organization.
This course will help me build an understanding of research as it relates to the urban planning
profession and hopefully allow me to conduct my own research in the future. I hope to gain an
understanding of professional standards for urban planning research, and learn how to
interpret the research of others in a useful way.
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Visual Map of Course Plan
CEP Year 1
AUTUMN
Course
WINTER
Credit
Course
SPRING
Credit
Course
SUMMER
Credit
CEP 301
5
CEP 302
5
CEP 303
5
CEP 300
1
CEP 400
1
CEP 300
1
CEP 400
1
URBDP 422
5
CEP 400
1
URBDP 404
3
RE510
3
URBDP 470
3
URBDP 598
1 Design Studio
3
GEOG 469
5
URBDP405
3
CEP 446
GEOG 465
5
Quarter total:
14
Quarter total:
Quarter total:
20
17
Course
Credit
CHID459
5
Quarter total:
5
CEP Year 2
AUTUMN
Course
WINTER
Credit
Course
SPRING
Credit
Course
SUMMER
Credit
CEP 460
5
CEP 461
5
CEP 462
5
CEP 300
1
CEP 400
1
CEP 300
1
CEP 400
1
CEP 491
1
CEP 400
1
CEP 490
1
GEOG271
5
GEOG 478
5
URBDP450
3
COM360
5
URBDP 519
5
Quarter total:
17
COM360
5
URBDP 503
3
Quarter total:
16
Quarter total:
20
Course
Credit
Quarter total:
0
TOTAL CREDITS
109
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Internship Goals
An internship during my time in CEP is one of the most exciting aspects of the program for
me. I consider it to be a unique and invaluable opportunity to engage in the professional world,
build substantive experience, and make connections with others in the field for possible future
collaboration. I view it as crucially important to a CEP education, and I am hoping to get as
much as possible out of this opportunity.
I worked as an intern for the final semester of my freshman year at Community College, and
although I gained some important skills and made worthwhile connections, it did not align
specifically with my field of interest nor my political views. I am hoping to find an internship
that is a good fit both on my part and the part of the organization that hires me.
Currently I am working on an application for a Data and GIS internship with the Department
of Transportation of the City of Seattle. It is an 18 month position beginning Winter quarter of
this year, and I would be thrilled to have the privilege to work for the City. I am unsure
whether my current skill set will be adequate for the internship, but I am finding great value in
the application process itself, as well as ongoing engagement with the Career Services Center
on campus.
Ultimately, I hope that an internship will leave me with a lot of professional experience and
more confidence in my skill set and my abilities. I also hope that it will be something I enjoy
doing day to day. I realize that internships are extremely competitive, but my goal is to find a
position that meets all of these criteria.
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Senior Project Plans
Though I have not chosen a specific focus for my senior project, I do have a few ideas.
Presently, they can be sorted into two broad categories: design and communication.
On the design side, I have two main ideas. The first is to look at the negative space around
Gould Hall, and attempt to create a design that utilizes the space in a better way. In particular,
I am interested in the grassy area adjacent to NE 40th St below the bridges that lead to the
buildings main entrances. I feel that this space is underutilized, and is not becoming for a
building that houses the College of Built Environments. I would be interested in exploring
different ideas for how to better use the space, such as a park-like seating area, outdoor
classroom, or a p-patch or community garden.
The other design idea involves the space surrounding the Husky Stadium Light Rail Station. I
feel that this space, like the negative space around Gould Court, is underutilized, and that it has
potential for transformation into a more active space with a greater diversity of uses. I might
like to explore the possibility of adding tables and chairs, food trucks, a coffee cart, or
newspaper stand. I would be interested in working with others in the College, as well as the
University of Washington, to explore how the space could be put to better use, and help bridge
the gulf between the location of the station and the more active, urban parts of the University
District.
On the communication side, my ideas are not yet as solid. I have thought about the idea of
telling the stories of some members of marginalized or underserved communities in Seattle,
possibly in the form of a photo essay or a piece of long-form journalism. Some communities I
might be interested in studying include the refugee community, the undocumented community,
and the unhoused community. I like the idea of getting to know members of these communities
through a journalistic project, and sharing stories and a reflection of the process with the larger
community.
Regardless of which direction I choose, it is important to me that my senior project reflect what
I am passionate about while making a positive impact in the community.
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Extracurricular Goals
I have three main extracurricular goals. The first is to develop my writing skills by joining a
student organization such as The Daily, or a community based organization. This is important
to me because I want to be able to communicate with as diverse an audience as possible, and I
understand that strong writing skills are essential.
My second extracurricular goal is to get involved with community organizations in Seattle. I
plan to spend time volunteering with grassroots organizations and build a personal network of
individuals and groups who help to make Seattle the great city that it is.
Finally, I would like to commit some time to a research project that may involve spending some
time abroad during a summer quarter. I have not made any solid plans, but traveling is both
educational and enjoyable for me, and I would like to find a way to make it a part of my CEP
education.