ARC 308
Architecture and Society

Instructor: Larry Speck

Prerequisites

None. Required course for architecture majors.

Educational Objectives

1. To establish a perspective of the role and influence of architecture in society and vis-a-vis other disciplines in the arts and science.

2. To develop an understanding of how architecture is shaped by and reflects cultural values and social organization.

3. To present a broad picture of issues and factors which influence architectural design.

4. To begin an acquaintance with the history and development of architecture.

Educational Approach

This is a reading/looking/listening course. It will follow a fairly conventional lecture format supplemented by related outside reading. Most presentations will be illustrated by slides with examples drawn from a broad spectrum of architectural history, with emphasis on the recent past.

Evaluation

There will be three quizzes (worth 45% of semester grade) as well as a final exam (worth 20% of final grade) in the course. The remaining 40% of your grade will be based on a series of three papers which you will write through the semester. (Each paper has equal weight.) Each quiz tests understanding of material covered in lectures and reading over a five- to seven-week period. The final exam will deal with comprehensive material covered in the course. Essay assignments will be dealt with primarily in discussion sections.

Required Texts

Readings will be assigned from the following three texts:
Rasmussen, Steen Eiler. Experiencing Architecture.
Heschong, Lisa. Thermal Delight in Architecture.
Moore, Charles, et al. The Place of Houses.