ARC 386M
Preservation History and Theory

Instructor: Dr. Christopher Long
Time and Place: T 3:30-6:30 BTL 101
Office: Sutton Hall 4.104
Phone: 232-4084
E-mail: chrlong@mail.utexas.edu

Course Description and Format

This course will explore the history and theory of historic preservation. Among the discussed will be the historical evolution of preservation, standard approaches and problems within the field, and the scholarly, economic, legal, and ethical dimensions of preservation practice. The course will be divided into two sections. The first will explore the early history of the preservation idea in Europe and the United States; the second will investigate various concepts and issues within the preservation field, including basic problems such as authenticity and adaptive use. Readings and critiques of basic texts will be supplemented with several short writing assignments. Students will also make in-class presentations of their papers at the end of the term. One longer research paper (15-20 pages) will be due on the final day of classes.

Educational Objectives

This course will focus on developing students' familiarity with the fundamental problems of the discipline; on familiarizing them with sources and concepts used in preservation history and theory; on developing their critical thinking and writing skills; and on developing methods for scholarly research within the field.

Course Requirements

Students will be required to write three short papers (30%), participate in class and present their research (30%), and write a final paper (15-20 pages) (40%).

Required Texts:

Michael Holleran, Boston's "Changeful Times": Origins of Preservation and Planning in America. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1998. ISBN 0-8018-5729-5

Rudy Koshar: Germany's Transient Pasts: Preservation and National Memory in the Twentieth Century. Chapell Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1998. ISBN 0-8078-47011 pbk.

Christian Norberg-Schulz, Genius loci: Towards a Phenomenology of Architecture. New York: Rizzoli, 1984. ISBN 0-8478-0287-6

plus an additional course packet of readings.