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General Information

Course ID (CB01A and CB01B)
ARTSD001B
Course Title (CB02)
Architecture Past and Present
Course Credit Status
Credit - Degree Applicable
Effective Term
Fall 2023
Course Description
This course explores architecture throughout the world, for the purpose of refining visual literacy skills. Works of architecture will be studied comparatively with regard to form and function, and numerous architectural concepts will be examined.
Faculty Requirements
Course Family
Not Applicable

Course Justification

This course is a major requirement in the discipline of Art History for at least one CSU or UC. Further, this course meets a general education requirement for 爱豆传媒, CSU GE, and/or IGETC. It belongs on the Art History Associate of Arts Degree. It was developed to meet a thematic requirement within the ARTS 1 (General Introduction to Art History) series, introducing students to the visual arts by means of an analysis of the function of a wide range of architectural forms.

Foothill Equivalency

Does the course have a Foothill equivalent?
No
Foothill Course ID

Course Philosophy

Formerly Statement

Course Development Options

Basic Skill Status (CB08)
Course is not a basic skills course.
Grade Options
  • Letter Grade
  • Pass/No Pass
Repeat Limit
0

Transferability & Gen. Ed. Options

Transferability
Transferable to both UC and CSU
爱豆传媒 GEArea(s)StatusDetails
2GC1爱豆传媒 GE Area C1 - ArtsApproved
CSU GEArea(s)StatusDetails
CGC1CSU GE Area C1 - ArtsApproved
IGETCArea(s)StatusDetails
IG3AIGETC Area 3A - ArtsApproved

Units and Hours

Summary

Minimum Credit Units
4.0
Maximum Credit Units
4.0

Weekly Student Hours

TypeIn ClassOut of Class
Lecture Hours4.08.0
Laboratory Hours0.00.0

Course Student Hours

Course Duration (Weeks)
12.0
Hours per unit divisor
36.0
Course In-Class (Contact) Hours
Lecture
48.0
Laboratory
0.0
Total
48.0
Course Out-of-Class Hours
Lecture
96.0
Laboratory
0.0
NA
0.0
Total
96.0

Prerequisite(s)

Corequisite(s)

Advisory(ies)

EWRT D001A or EWRT D01AH or ESL D005.

Limitation(s) on Enrollment

Entrance Skill(s)

General Course Statement(s)

(See general education pages for the requirements this course meets.)

Methods of Instruction

Lecture and visual aids

Discussion of assigned reading

Discussion and problem solving performed in class

In-class essays

In-class exploration of Internet sites

Field observation and field trips

Collaborative learning and small group exercises

Assignments

  1. Required reading from the texts
  2. Written assignment.

Methods of Evaluation

  1. Midterm and final exams, including both of the following formats: objective questions identifying works of architecture and their respective architects, historical periods, dates, and media, and/or 鈥渟hort answer鈥 questions; and written essays requiring analysis of works of architecture in conjunction with works discussed by students in class, and in response to assigned readings, including application of primary source documents and secondary written sources.
  2. At least one written assignment, comprised of a term paper which requires visual analysis of local architecture contextualized in relation to works discussed by students in class. The paper will be evaluated on the basis of any or all of the following: student analysis of physical condition and technical production of works of architecture; implementation of formal and stylistic analysis; interpretation of subject matter; consideration of the gender, ethnicity, and social status of architects and/or patrons; and analysis of the function and meaning of works of architecture in society.

Essential Student Materials/Essential College Facilities

Essential Student Materials:聽
  • None.
Essential College Facilities:
  • None.

Examples of Primary Texts and References

AuthorTitlePublisherDate/EditionISBN
Roth, Leland M. and Amanda C. Roth Clark. Understanding Architecture: Its Elements, History, and Meaning. Routledge, 2018, third edition.

Examples of Supporting Texts and References

AuthorTitlePublisher
Anthony, Kathryn H. "Designing for Diversity: Gender, Race, and Ethnicity in the Architecture Profession." Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 2007.
Mallgrave, Harry Francis and Christina Contandriopoulos, eds. "Architectural Theory, volume 2: An Anthology from 1871 to 2005." Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishers, 2008.
Barton, Craig Evan. "Sites of Memory: Perspectives on Architecture and Race." Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2001.
Betsky, Aaron. "Building Sex: Men, Women, Architecture, and the Construction of Sexuality." Kolkata: Quill Publishers, 1997.
Serraino, Pierluigi. "NorCalMod: Icons of Northern California Modernism." San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2006.
Edensor, Tim. "Tourists at the Taj: Performance and Meaning at a Symbolic Site." London and New York: Routledge, 1998.
Kaplan, Wendy, ed. "Design in California and Mexico, 1915-1985: Found in Translation." Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and Munich: Prestel, 2017.
Friedman, Alice. "Women and the Making of the Modern House." New York: Abrams, 1998.
Desai, Madhavi and Medi Desai. "The Bungalow in Twentieth-Century India." Abingdon, Oxfordshire and New York: Routledge, 2016.
Kahera, Akel Ismail. "Deconstructing the American Mosque: Space, Gender, and Aesthetics." Austin, TX: University of Texas Press, 2002.
Khaghani, Saeid. "Islamic Architecture in Iran. Poststructural Theory and the Architectural History of Iranian Mosques." London: I.B. Tauris, 2017.
Maranci, Christina. "Medieval Armenian Architecture: Constructions of Race and Nation." Leuven: Peeters, 2001.
Michell, George, et al. "Architecture of the Islamic World." New edition. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1995.
Prussin, Labelle. "African Nomadic Architecture: Space, Place, and Gender." Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Books, 1997.
Rendell, Jane, et al. "Gender Space Architecture: An Interdisciplinary Introduction." London and New York: Routledge, 1999.
Rowe, Peter C., and Seng Kuan. "Architectural Encounters with Essence and Form in Modern China." Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 2002.
Patricios, Nicholas. "The Sacred Architecture of Byzantium: Art, Liturgy and Symbolism in Early Christian Churches." London: I.B. Tauris, 2014.
Villela, Khristaan, et al. "Contemporary Mexican Design and Architecture." Layton, UT: Gibbs Smith Publishers, 2002.
Allaback, Sarah. "The First American Women Architects." Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press, 2008.
Davis, Sam. "Designing for the Homeless: Architecture that Works." Berkeley: University of California Press, 2004.
Malnar, Joyce Monice and Frank Vodvarka. "New Architecture on Indigenous Lands." Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press, 2013.
Espegel, Carmen. "Women Architects in the Modern Movement." Abingdon, Oxfordshire and New York: Routledge, 2018.
Crouch, Dora P. and June G. Johnson. "Traditions in Architecture: Africa, America, Asia, and Oceania." New York: Oxford University Press, 2001.
Sowinski, Suzanne. "A History of Sustainable Architecture: Design Fundamentals." Philadelphia: Eco Press, 2017.
Mallgrave, Harry Francis, ed. "Architectural Theory, volume 1: An Anthology from Vitruvius to 1870." Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishers, 2005.

Learning Outcomes and Objectives

Course Objectives

  • Describe, analyze, compare, and contrast the structural/engineering methods employed in architecture worldwide with a discussion of their aesthetic ramifications
  • Discuss, analyze, compare, and contrast of building materials in terms of their practical and their aesthetic considerations
  • Analyze the social experiences of architects
  • Discuss, analyze, compare, and contrast the relationship between the form of a building and its function
  • Compare and contrast works of architecture produced in different cultures

CSLOs

  • Students will analyze the social experience of architects, demonstrating how architects' relationship with their patrons was a defining factor in the production of buildings and monuments.

  • Students will demonstrate visual literacy and critical thinking skills by evaluating diverse scholarly perspectives when interpreting works of architecture.

  • Students will investigate the different techniques utilized in the production of works of architecture through written analysis based on firsthand evaluation of local buildings.

Outline

  1. Describe, analyze, compare, and contrast the structural/engineering methods employed in architecture worldwide with a discussion of their aesthetic ramifications
    1. The post and lintel method of construction
    2. The development of the arch
    3. The development of the dome
    4. The development of the barrel vault and the groin vault
    5. The development of balloon framing
    6. The development of steel cage construction
    7. The development of cantilever construction
  2. Discuss, analyze, compare, and contrast of building materials in terms of their practical and their aesthetic considerations
    1. Practical concerns, especially durability of materials as well as fire safety
    2. Aesthetic considerations, include desired proportions, ratios of height to width, interior space, and texture
    3. Introduction to building materials, such as:
      1. Wood
      2. Adobe and brick
      3. Stone
      4. Cast iron, steel, glass, and concrete
  3. Analyze the social experiences of architects
    1. Social status and classism
    2. Ethnicity and racism
    3. Gender and sexism
  4. Discuss, analyze, compare, and contrast the relationship between the form of a building and its function
    1. Interior of domed structures vs. symbolism of exterior
    2. Rhythm and progression of post and lintel construction vs. its usefulness as structural support
    3. Space-defining architecture vs. space-enclosing architecture
  5. Compare and contrast works of architecture produced in different cultures
    1. Social experiences of architects
    2. Materials and tools used by architects
    3. Approaches to the elements and principles of architectural design
    4. Function of buildings
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