This course introduces students to the world of urban studies, academic research and practice. The aim of the seminar is to familiarize students with the field as well as current debates in urban studies, and to engage with the question of how to research the urban from an interdisciplinary perspective. The course provides students with a fundamental understanding of social research and the basic tools for conducting sound academic work.By the end of the module students will be able to develop their own research interests and to formulate a research question. Also, they will have gained a first overview of how to design their own research project and how to collect data. Students will apply this knowledge by writing a first research proposal as the basis for their guided research project (GRP) in the third semester.