architecture program report - University of Massachusetts Amherst

ART-HIST 191A Introduction to Architecture and the Built Environment 3 credits
Instructor: Rohan, Vickery
Course Description:
This is an introductory lecture course that is a foundation both for those who have a general interest in
architecture and for those who will pursue architecture, design, preservation and planning as a career.
Learning Objectives:
The class covers the history of architecture from antiquity to the present in a fashion that is both thematic and
chronological. Lectures and discussions examine significant examples of western and non-western buildings,
complexes and cities from Europe, the Middle East, the Americas, China, Japan and India. Exemplary
structures, such as the Parthenon in Greece and the Ise Shrine in Japan, will be compared in order to
understand how different cultures approach similar architectural problems. In addition to an awareness of the
broader issues that contribute to the formation of the built environment (materials, technology, patronage, power,
labor), students will develop research skills, learn to read architectural plans and acquire a working vocabulary
of architectural terms. These skills will be useful for taking upper level courses in architectural history and can
be called upon throughout life. Students will also be encouraged to think about issues of sustainability and the
built environment throughout the course, in order to better understand humankind’s relationship between
buildings and the environment and subsequently to have a better understanding of the issues we face today.
Course Requirements:
Papers: The first 3-5 page assignment is a comparison of the Acropolis, Athens with the Ise Shrine, Japan, due
Friday feb. 23. The second 5 page assignment is a descriptive exercise of Pennsylvania Station, New York
designed to help your skills in reading and analyzing plans and images, due Friday April 10. The final 6-7 page
paper is an analysis of an actual building on campus that can be visited and described in light of issues addressed in
the class and in the readings (due Monday May 4).These assignments will be explained in greater detail on separate
handouts and dates may change. Plagarism, especially from internet sources such as Wikipedia, will result in lower
grades or failure.
Exams: All exams use slides. There is a quiz (Wed. February 11), midterm (Wed. March 11) and a cumulative final
(date and time to be announced). For the mid-term and final you will be asked to identify and compare images of
structures discussed in class and found in the textbook. There will be review sheets for these exams listing these
structures. For each building you will have to know its name, location, architect, dates and why it is significant. You
will be expected to interpret and cite the readings for the exam. The final is a cumulative exam using material from
the entire course. Exams must be taken as scheduled, or else a legitimate excuse from the dean’s office must be
presented. This means you should not book a flight that conflicts with quizzes or exams!!
Final grades will be determined by the grades that are received on the following: a quiz (5%), a mid-term exam
(20%), a final exam(25%), written assignment #1, (15%), written assignment #2 (15%) and a seven page final
paper (20%). Late assignments will be penalized unless the student reaches an agreement with their teaching
assistant.
Texts:
Marian Moffett, Michael Fazion, Lawrence Wodehouse. Buildings Across Time: An Introduction to World Architecture
(McGraw Hill, 2009, 3 rd edition) and The Penguin Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture are the required text
for the course. Both are available at Amherst Books.
Prerequisites:
None
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