April 16, 2026, as part of the IX International Symposium “Education and the City: People and Institutions”, a round table entitled “How to Teach Urban Studies by Reading Children’s Books?” will be held in a hybrid format. Moderator — Ekaterina Asonova, Head of the Laboratory of Socio-Cultural Educational Practices, Institute for Urban Studies and Global Education, Moscow City University.
Among the most rapidly developing fields of knowledge in the modern world is not only the sphere of AI but also urban studies. Residents of many cities where urban improvement programmes have been launched have become familiar with it, as have readers and listeners of blogs and podcasts dedicated to issues of urban planning and development. Universities have begun to open training programmes that include the word “urban studies” in their titles. This means there is a need to provide an accessible explanation of what urban studies is — one that is understandable to virtually everyone. As a rule, this function in society is fulfilled by children’s literature. Books for children dedicated to city life may seem like a familiar and popular genre, but it is precisely in this genre that new themes and new ways of talking about the city and its inhabitants find expression.
We invite you to join a conversation with authors of children’s books on urban anthropology, urban transport, the history of cities, and much more — Natalia Volkova, Alexandra Litvina, and Anna Guseinova. Together with educators and students from Moscow City University, we will discuss how urban studies can be taught today using children’s books as a foundation.
The roundtable will be held in a hybrid format; in person — at 8 Sadovaya-Samotechnaya Street, Assembly Hall. Applications for participation are open; registration is available via this link.
Please note that several events will take place simultaneously at the indicated time. The link required for streaming access will be provided in the programme. The full programme of events will soon be available on the symposium’s website.
Photo: Freepik