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JorgeOtero-Pailos,“TheEthicsofDust”(2016).LatexcastsofpollutiononindustrialchimneysfromSanFrancisco’shistoricOldMint.
CourseDescriptionTraditionalmodelsforhistoricalinquiryprivilegelanguage—eithertranscribedororated—astheprimaryinterfacebetweenhistoricalsubjectsandthepresent.Whilethistraditioncontinuestoberichfieldofdiscovery,onemightwonderifthereareotherwaystoengagethepast.Canasite-specificinstallationbeaformofhistoricalscholarship?Isdrawingaviablemeansofstudyingbygonecivilizations?Howmightanarchitectreimaginethetaskofahistorian?Buildingoffofthesequestions,thiscourseexaminestheapplicationofdesignasamethodforhistoricalanalysis.Throughaseriesofcasestudiesanddirectedreadings,studentswillbeintroducedtoarangeofcreativealternativestotraditionalhistoriography.Inadditiontoexperimentaltexts,thecoursewillfeaturehistoriesthatareintendedtobewatched,held,performed,smelled,heard,andinhabited.Overthecourseofthesemester,eachstudentwilldevelophisorherownhistoricalresearchproject,borrowingand/oradaptingoneofthedesign-orientedmethodsdiscussedinclass.Bybridgingthedividebetweenhistoryanddesign,thiscourseaimstoengageawideraudienceincriticalreflectiononarchitectureanditsvibrantpast.LearningObjectives
• Todevelopanawarenessoftraditionalmethodsandproblemsassociatedwithhistoricalinquiry• Todevelopanunderstandingofemergingdesign-orientedapproachestohistory• Todevelopabilityinhistoricalresearch,analysis,andpositioningthroughasemester-longproject• Todevelopspeakingandargumentationskillsthroughin-classdiscussionsandpresentations
CourseOrganizationThiscourseisorganizedaroundaseriesofweeklylecturesdeliveredbytheinstructor.Followingeachlecture,studentswillengageinadiscussionoftheweek’stheme.Studentsshouldreadallassignedreadingsandarrivetoclasspreparedtocontributetotheconversation.RequiredReadingsandSupplementaryMaterialsRequiredtextsandsupplementarymaterialswillbepostedonBlackboard.Seethecourseschedulebelowforafulllistofreadingsandcasestudies.
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ProjectDescriptionEachstudentwillselectaresearchtopiceitherfromtheprovidedlistorinconsultationwiththeinstructor.Thistopicshouldbeasingularentity(person,place,orthing),ratherthananabstractconcept(i.e.sustainability)orgeneralmovement(i.e.Postmodernism).Additionally,thestudentshouldselectatopicthatheorshecanaccessinsomemanner.Ifthetopicisabuildingorlandmark,thenitshouldbelocatedinoraroundLosAngeles.Ifthetopicisaparticularbookorjournal,thenthestudentshouldobtainaphysicalcopy.Ifthetopicisahistoricalfigure,thenthestudentshouldidentifyanaccessiblearchivecontainingpertinentmaterials(i.e.GettyCenter,USCarchives,etc.).Overthecourseofthesemester,eachstudentwillconductresearchonhisorherselectedtopicanddevelopadesign-orientedprojectthatpresentsthefindingstoawideraudience.Inadditiontothisfinaldeliverable,studentswillsubmitweeklyreadingsummaries,completeamethodologyassignment,andsharetheirresearchprogressthroughmid-termpresentations.GradingBreakdown
Assignment Points %ofGrade
FinalProject 50 40Mid-termPresentation 50 20MethodologyAssignment 10 10ReadingSummaries 100 20In-classParticipation 10 10
TOTAL 220 100 GradingScaleCoursefinalgradeswillbedeterminedusingthefollowingscale:A 95-100A- 90-94B+ 87-89B 83-86B- 80-82C+ 77-79C 73-76C- 70-72D+ 67-69D 63-66D- 60-62F 59andbelowAssignmentSubmissionPolicyAssignmentsshouldbesubmittedinclassoronBlackboard,asdirected.Latesubmissionswillbepenalizedasfollows:-1pointperdayforthemethodologyassignmentandreadingsummaries;-5pointsperdayforthemid-termpresentationandfinalproject.
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CourseSchedule
SessionTopic Readings*&CaseStudiesWeek1 IntroductiontoHistorical
Methods&Problems
� RequiredReading:R.G.Collingwood,TheIdeaofHistory(“ThePhilosophyofHistory”and“History’sNature,Object,Method,andValue,”pp.1-10)� SupplementalReading:WalterBenjamin,“OntheConceptofHistory”� SupplementalReading:DavidEdgerton,ShockoftheOld:TechnologyandGlobalHistorySince1900(“Introduction,”pp.ix-xviii)� SupplementalReading:E.H.Carr,WhatisHistory?(pp.7-30)
Week2 TheUtilityof
ArchitecturalHistory
� RequiredReading:ZacharyTatePorter,“OurUselessPast”� SupplementalReading:ColinRowe,“MathematicsoftheIdealVilla”� SupplementalViewing:VideoInterview:“TheLifeandWorkofanEnvironmentalHistorianwithWilliamCronon”� SupplementalReading:AndrewLeach,WhatisArchitecturalHistory?(Ch.4:“HowUseful?”pp.97-114)
Week3 TheRoleofEvidence
� RequiredViewing:VideoLecture:DellUpton,“AConcreteModernity”� RequiredReading:AndrewLeach,WhatisArchitecturalHistory?(Ch.3:“Evidence,”pp.76-96)� SupplementalReading:AndrewBallantyne,“ArchitectureasEvidence”inRethinkingArchitecturalHistoriographyDeadlineforTopicSelectionIn-classActivity:LibraryResearchSession
Week4 Design-OrientedResearch
Method#1:
Site-SpecificInstallation
� RequiredReading:MiwonKwon,OnePlaceAfterAnother:Site-SpecificArtandLocationalIdentity(Ch.1:“GenealogyofSiteSpecificity,”pp.11-32)SupplementalReading:IsabelleLoringWallaceandNoraWendl,eds.,ContemporaryArtAboutArchitecture:AStrangeUtility(“Introduction”)SupplementalViewing:VideoLecture:ByronyRoberts,“InterventionasProject”� CaseStudies:JenniferBonner,Watermarks;MatthewBuckingham,DetourandFrom1957to1969ThisBuildingWasEmpty;OsvaldoRomberg,Translocations;FujikoNakaya,Veil;LADG,TheKidGetsOutofthePicture;AnneRamsden,Garden;KaraWalker,ASubtlety;Parasite2.0,Vitaneibosch;NeutraVDLResearchHouse&WendeMuseum,“CompetingUtopias”;SantiagoBorja,“Sitio”and“Fort/Da”;XavierVeilhan,“ArchitectonesBarcelona”
Week5 Design-OrientedResearch
Method#2:
Performance,Reenactment,andTableauxVivant
� RequiredReading:NoraWendl,“AttemptsatBreakingintoaGlassHouse”� RequiredReading:VanessaAgnew,“Introduction:WhatisReenactment?”� SupplementalReading:JenniferFisherandJimDrobnick,“Counterposes,ACuratorialPose“� CaseStudies:JeremyDeller,TheBattleofOrgreave;IñigoManglano-Ovalle,leBaiser/TheKiss;JoseReynoso,SocialClassandOtherChoreographies;AndreaFraser,LittleFrankandHisCarp;DisplayCult(curators),Counterposes;GordonMattaClark,WindowBlow-out;AdadHannah,MuseumStills;IainBaxter&,MonopolywithRealMoney;Parasite2.0,RadicalIsland#2
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Week6 Design-OrientedResearch
Method#3:
Reconstruction
� RequiredReading:TinoMager,ArchitectureRePerformed:ThePoliticsofReconstruction(“Introduction:SelectedPasts,DesignedMemories”)� SupplementalReading:DavidGissen,“TheArchitecturalReconstructionofNature”� SupplementalReading:Viollet-le-duc,OnRestoration(excerpt)� CaseStudies:IgnasideSolà-Morales,CristianCiriciandFernandoRamos,BarcelonaPavilionReconstruction;RobertVenturi,FranklinCourt:GhostStructure;DoHoSuh,SeoulHome/LAHome;DavidGissen,TheMoundofVendôme,ThePathtotheAcropolis,andPittsburghReconstruction,1906;ThomasMuller,ReconstructionofWallHouse2
Week7 Design-OrientedResearch
Method#4:
AlternateHistory
� RequiredReading:BenjaminBratton,DisputePlantoPreventFutureLuxuryConstitution(Chapter2:“TheRoleofMegastructureintheEschatologyofJohnFrum(OnOMA’sMasterPlanfortheSpratlyIslands),”pp.13–40)� SupplementalReading:KellerEasterling,“SomeTrueStories”� CaseStudies:SamLubellandGregGoldin,“NeverBuiltLosAngeles”;LuisFernandez,“Haussmanhattan”;PhilipK.Dick,ManintheHighCastle;KellerEasterling,SomeTrueStories
Week8 MidtermProject
Presentations
Week9 Design-OrientedResearch
Method#5:
DrawingandModeling
� RequiredReading:AnthonyVidler,“PalladioReassessedbyEisenman”� SupplementalReading:ErnestoValiente,Flaviod'Amico,andFernandodaCasaMartín,“DrawingasaResearchTool:ReconstructionoftheTripTimeoftheUrbanImageofAlcaladeHenares”� SupplementalReading:KarissaRosenfield,“VeniceBiennale2012:ThePiranesiVariations/PeterEisenman”� SupplementalReading:PeterEisenman,“FromObjecttoRelationshipII:CasaGiulianiFrigerio:GiuseppeTerragniCasaDelFascio”� CaseStudies:PeterEisenman,PalladioVirtuel;VolkanAlkanoglu,InfamousLines;PeterEisenman,JeffKipnis,andDOGMA,PiranesiVariations;PeterEisenman,TenCanonicalBuildings;FarshidMoussavi,TheFunctionofOrnament
Week10
Design-OrientedResearchMethod#6:
Curation
� RequiredReading:FeliciaDavis,“UncoveringPlacesofMemory:WalkingToursofManhattan”inSitesofMemory:PerspectivesonArchitectureandRace� RequiredReading:MatthewAllen,“Review:ArchaeologyoftheDigital”� SupplementalReading:HalFoster,“AnArchivalImpulse”� SupplementalReading:MarleneManoff,“TheoriesoftheArchivefromAcrosstheDisciplines”� CaseStudies:GregLynn,“ArchaeologyoftheDigital”;AndrewKovacs,“ArchiveofAffinities”;AmyBalkin,MalteRoloff,andCassieThorton,“APeople’sArchiveofSinkingandMelting”;DavidGissenandIreneCheng,“AnOlafactoryArchive:1738-1969”;JenniferBonner,AGuidetotheDirtySouth:Atlanta;StudioBeirut,Beyroutes:AGuidetoBeirut;RemKoolhaas,VeniceBiennale2014:Fundamentals
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*Assignedtextsshouldbereadpriortotheclassperiodforwhichtheyarelisted.
Week11
Design-OrientedResearchMethod#7:
CriticalandExperimentalPreservation
� RequiredReading:LauraRaskin,“JorgeOtero-PalosandtheEthicsofPreservation”� RequiredReading:AdamJasper,“PhotoagenturPotemkin”� SupplementalViewing:LectureVideo:JorgeOtero-Pailos,“ExperimentalPreservation”� SupplementalReading:StephenCairnsandJaneM.Jacobs,BuildingsMustDie(Ch.5:“Decay,”pp.69-102)� CaseStudies:JorgeOtero-Palos,TheEthicsofDust;BernardTschumi,AdvertisementsforArchitecture;OMA,McCormickTribuneCampusCenter;CarnegieLibraryStones(Atlanta);FarnsworthHouseFloodMitigationProject;DanielR.Small,ExcavationII
Week12
Design-OrientedResearchMethod#8:
NewMedia
� RequiredViewing:VideoLecture:DianeFavro,“BuildingaDigitalAncientRomeBitbyByte”� RequiredReading:GregMiller,“BeautifulInteractiveMapofBarcelonaDigsintoRichArchitecturalHistory”� CaseStudies:IreneChengandBrettSnyder,MuseumofthePhantomCity;DianeFavro,DigitalRomanForum;NicholasdeMonchaux,LocalCode:RealEstates;FirstOffice,#Dolmen;P.Lynch,L.Swimmer,andR.Zimmer,CARTASONIC;300.00Km/s,BIGTIMEBCN
Week13
FinalProjectWorkshop
Week14
FinalPresentations,Performances,and/orInstallationExhibitions
Week15
NoClass–StudioReviews
FINAL FinalProjectSubmission
(includingvisualdocumentationandtextualdescription)
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