Required Course
Credits: 3-0-3 (3 semester hours)
Type of Course: Lectures with preceptorials
Instructors: Elizabeth Dowling
Prerequisites: Graduate Standing
Course Overview
This course is the first of a two course sequence covering the history of architecture from Ancient to Modern times. This course introduces the architecture produced from approximately 2000 BC to AD 1800 by cultures throughout the world, with an emphasis on those sources of influence on the architecture of the Americas. This course includes two lectures and one preceptorial/discussion class each week. Two quizzes and a final exam will test knowledge of course materials through discussion questions and visual identification of buildings.
Lecture Topics: Architectural/cultural responses to utility, firmness, and beauty. Influence of structure and materials on design. Development of Greek Temple and Orders. Acropolis in Athens. Roman Architecture: The City of Rome. Roman Engineering and Construction. The Pantheon. Early Christian and Byzantine: Ceremony and Symbol. Carolingian and Romanesque. Islamic Architecture. Symbolism and Structure in Gothic Cathedrals. Gothic in France, England and Italy. Renaissance: The new architectural vision of Brunelleschi. Introduction of Architectural Theory. Renaissance Ideas Developed: Bramante and Michelangelo. Language of Classicism: Mannerism and Palladio. The Influence of Italy on France and England. Baroque Rome. Baroque in France. Baroque in England. Indigenous Architecture in the Americas. England, France and Spain and the colonization of the America's. Temples and Gardens in China and Japan. Architecture of India. Nature and Architecture: Palladianism and the English Garden. 18th c. Travel and its effect on architecture. Neoclassicism in France. Neoclassicism in England. Neoclassicism in America. Review and Conclusion.
Preceptorial Topics: Architecture and history. Origin and development of the Greek Temple. Vitruvius I. Understanding Scale. Vitruvius II. Structural Analysis of the Gothic Cathedral. Geometry in the Islamic decoration and structure. Alberti. Palladio. Symbolism in Borromini's architecture. Japanese garden design. Measurement and recording of historical architecture.
Learning Objectives
Students are made aware of world architecture through the lectures and the preceptorial discussions. An introduction to the language and vocabulary of architectural form is a primary objective of the course. Research resources in the field of architecture are introduced through preceptorial assignments. The student's general awareness of the built world, architectural theory, and the development of visual acuity are also primary objectives.
Course Requirements
Students are required to prepare through readings and research for each week's preceptorial discussion. Several short papers are written for the preceptorial. Two hour-long quizzes and a final exam test detailed knowledge of many levels of information from simple building identification to discussion of theoretical issues.