ARCHI 157: History of World Architecture: Middle Ages to 18th Century Syllabus
INSTRUCTOR, POLICIES AND GENERAL INFORMATION
Instructor: Daniel Abbott
Office Location: ET 119D
Office Hours: Monday & Wednesday 10:00-11:00 & 12:30-1:00
Tuesday and Thursday 1:00-2:00
E-Mail & Phone: By Request. All questions, concerns and discussions should be conducted in class, or in person during office hours. Please see your professor if you need contact information regarding e-mail or phone for specific purposes which may arise in the course.
You are encouraged to visit your professor during office hours to discuss your progress in the class, your work or interest in architectural history.
COURSE INFORMATION
Course Content
Units: 3
Prerequisite: None
Recommended: Eligibility for ENGL 122 or equivalent
Course Description
World architecture and urbanism from the Middle Ages until the end of the 18th Century. Exploration of social, cultural, and physical conditions that influence the built environment of Europe, Asia and the Colonial Americas. Course covers the development of the Gothic cathedral, art and architecture of the Renaissance, Baroque design in Europe, architecture of Japan, China and India, historic buildings in Colonial America, and architectural developments in Europe during the 18th Century including Romanticism and later Greek and Gothic revival movements.
Notes
ARCHI 156, 157 and 158 may be taken in any order.
Class Schedule:
Monday & Wednesday, 11:00 - 12:15 pm
Recommended Texts:
Buildings Across Time
Moffett, Fazio & Wodehouse
Analyzing Architecture
Leland Roth
Required Texts:
A number of books will be placed on reserve in the library that are required reading for the class in order to complete the midterm and final essays. Somoe of these titles are also available in the bookstore for purchase
Universe of Stone: A Biography of Chartres Cathedral
The Gothic Enterprise: A guide to Understanding the Medieval Cathedral
Brunelleschi’s Dome, How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture, Ross King
The Lives of the Artists, Georgio Vasari
Basilica - The Splendors and the Scandal: Building St. Peter’s, R. A. Scotti
The Genius in the Design: Bernini, Borromini, and the Rivalry That Transformed Rome
Additional handouts and reading assignments will be given in class. Some of these reading assignments will ask you to go to the library to read material that is on reserve at the library desk for a three hour maximum check out time limit.
Daily quizzes, writing assignments and midterm tests will be based on the readings assigned. It is important in some cases that you take notes while reading so that you can have information in not form to bring to class in order to successfully write for a class exam.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
Students completing the course will be able to:
· Speak and write effectively about architecture
· Employ basic methods of research for studying and analyzing buildings in history
· Describe, analyze and interpret architecture, landscape and the built environment
· Identify the impact of social, technological, economic and cultural diversity on the built environment
· Recognize Western and non-Western traditions in architecture
· Identify principles of order and structure that influence and inform environmental design
Student Learning Outcomes
· Identify notable architects, design concepts, canonical buildings and precedents in architecture.
· Identify the historical and contemporary role of architects in the profession and related design fields.
· Describe parallel and divergent canons and traditions of architecture, landscape and urban design.
COURSE CONTENT
Eras or time periods to be studied in chronological order are as follows
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ARCHI 157: History of World Architecture: Middle Ages to 18th Century Syllabus
A. Gothic Architecture
Gothic principles
Gothic in Italy
Gothic in France
Gothic in England
B. Renaissance Architecture
The development of the Renaissance
The Renaissance in Italy
The Renaissance in France
C. Baroque Architecture
Baroque in Italy
Baroque in Central Europe
Baroque in France
Baroque in England
D. Architecture of Asia
China
Japan
India
Southeast Asia
E. Colonial Americas
English
Dutch
French
Spanish
F. Eighteenth Century
Adam and Chambers
Architecture in France
Boulee and Ledoux
The Ecole des Beaux-Arts
G. Romanticism and the Picturesque Strawberry Hill
The English landscape movement
Piranese
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ARCHI 157: History of World Architecture: Middle Ages to 18th Century Syllabus
GRADING METHODS & DISTRIBUTION
50% Daily Participation Assignments in Class
Weekly quizzes and participatory exercises based on required readings and lecture material will be given in class. These will serve to prepare you for the midterm and final exams and also as ways for you to study and test your retention of knowledge throughout the class.
There are a minimum of 20 daily quizzes conducted in this class, and it is important to attend every class session. As a rule of thumb, two classes is approximately equal to 5% of your overall grade.
50% Midterm Exams, Essays and in class writing Assignments
Each midterm test contains writing assignments that you will perform in class. These assignments will be announced ahead of time before you take the midterm test so you can prepare in advance.
Two research paper assignments will be given and evaluated for your final grade. Research papers are typically 10-12 pages. See additional handouts on papers and how they are to be written.
The tentative exam and writing schedule is as follows:
3 - 4 Weeks Midterm Test 1: Gothic Architecture
In class writing on Gothic cathedrals
Assign 10-12 page Gothic Architecture research paper due mid- semester
4 Weeks Midterm Test 2: Renaissance Architecture
In class writing – Vasari, Michelangelo, Alberti, or related topic
4 Weeks Midterm Test 3: Baroque Architecture
In class writing assignment: Saint Peter’s Cathedral, Vasari, Borromini, Bernini or other topics
Assign 10-12 page Renaissance Architecture research paper due at the end of semester.
2 Weeks Final Test 1: Colonial American Architecture
In class writing on the Georgian colonial style or topics in American colonial architecture topic
2 Weeks Final Test 2: Asian Architecture: Japan, China & India
Writing assignment: Japanese architecture or related subject
CLASS GUIDELINES
All students who miss two weeks of class or two weeks of assignments will be withdrawn from the class at the discretion of the instructor.
All students are advised to drop the course within the first 75% of the class, if this is your intention.
Students are only permitted to retake the class three times. Please consider this limit on enrollment when dropping the class.
All students are required to follow the Student Code of Conduct and related policies on Academic Honesty as published in the Diablo Valley College Catalog, College & Student Policies.
All late work will be graded down by 10% per class.
Make up tests must be completed the following class period.
Students with questions regarding their progress in the class should arrange a time to meet with the teacher before or after class or during office hours. Questions related to final transcripted grades will only be responded to in person during the Fall and Spring Sessions only.
Letters of Recommendation, Scholarships and College Applications
Your instructor is required to give you an evaluation in this course, a process that requires weeks of grading, observation, feedback and record keeping. Any evaluation beyond this, in the form of letters of recommendation, scholarship application forms or other documents is considered supplementary to this evaluation process and not required unless there is significant merit or justification for the request.
Students wishing to request a letter of recommendation must do so a minimum three weeks in advance. Students must receive an A in the course to qualify for a letter of recommendation. In addition, a portfolio of work and other courses is strongly preferred.
Internships
If you are an architecture major, it is advised that you look into an internship in an architectural firm during your time in the architecture program at DVC. This will provide you with an excellent reference for college applications and letters of recommendation, and an experience of what working in a firm is like. In addition it will give you a head start on your licensure process and your knowledge about buildings and office management.
Academic Dishonesty Policy
The study of architecture history is highly dependent on reading, writing and testing to verify that you understand the material. In the event that academic dishonesty occurs the following actions will be taken in accordance with campus policies:
First incident: The student will receive no credit (zero points) for the assignment and the final grade may be lowered. The student will also be reported to the Vice President of student services so that their name is kept on file with the campus. This report may result in a hearing to discuss the issue.
Second incident: The student will receive a failing grade in the class and the event will be documented with the Vice President of Student Services.
Third or recurring incident: If academic dishonesty has occurred over the course of several semesters or classes, the student may receive a failing grade immediately. If the case is severe enough the student may face expulsion for three years from the campus.
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