Architecture 135: History of Architecture I (3 credits)
Fall 2007 

Schedule and Slides

Vocabulary

Lectures:    MW  10:10 – 11:00 am (Koubek Auditorium)

Section 31:  F  10:10 – 11:00 am (Locraft)

Section 32:  F  11:10 – 12:00 pm (Locraft)

Section 33:  F  12:10 – 1:00 pm (Koubek)

Description and Goals

This course is the first in a three-semester sequence that covers prehistoric architecture to the modern era. In this course, we will concentrate on the period encompassing prehistory to Byzantine architecture, stopping at approximately 800 C.E. In each period, architectural examples will be discussed in relation to design principles and building construction materials and methods. Specific architectural examples will be studied in terms of site, spatial sequence, structure, detail, symbolism and cultural meaning. The course will also examine social and cultural issues related to the buildings and monuments of the period.

The goal of the course is to introduce students to the canonical works of architecture that are necessary to continue successfully in the architecture program. At the end of the course, it is expected that students will understand these works as they relate to their culture and to the evolution of architecture.

Instructional Methods

Class meetings will alternate between classroom lectures on Mondays and Wednesdays and seminars on Fridays. In these seminars students will discuss various architectural topics and prepare for examinations and the written assignments under the guidance of the teaching assistants. Participation is required in the Friday sessions and will be factored into your final grade.

Required Textbooks

Marvin Trachtenberg and Isabelle Hyman, Architecture: From Prehistory to Post-Modernism (Prentice-Hall, 2002).

Steen Eiler Rasmussen, Experiencing Architecture (MIT Press, 1964).

Recommended Books

Francis D.K. Ching, Architecture: Form Space and Order, 3rd Edition (Wiley, 2007).

Spiro Kostof, A History of Architecture: Settings and Rituals, 2nd Edition (Oxford University Press, 1995).

Course Website

The school’s website will be updated periodically with slide images from the course. You can find the course website at http://architecture.cua.edu/courses/Arch135/index07.cfm. While the images are available for you to download, please be mindful of the environment when you are printing copies for yourself – printing double-sided or printing thumbnails (or both) will help to cut down on the amount of paper waste. You can also choose to only print the images that are not in your textbook. If you would like to print the files, right-click on the document name to save onto your computer rather than printing straight from your browser as that tends to waste paper.

To double-side from one of the printers in the computer lab, select HP5550A or HP5550B. Under Printer Set-up, go to Properties and under Finishing select Print Both Sides.

To print multiple images on one page (i.e., thumbnails), go to Print and select Print Multiple Pages per Sheet. I recommend printing 4 sheets per page. You can then cut them up and turn them into flashcards to help you study.

All staff in the Computer Lab has been directed to CANCEL any print of ARCH 135 slides that do not either double-side or print thumbnails.

Professional Standards

All accredited architecture programs must ensure that each graduate possesses a specific set of knowledge and skills that have been determined to meet the demands of an internship leading to registration for practice. At the completion of this course, it is expected that students will have gained knowledge and skills in the following areas:

3.13.1. Speaking and Writing Skills

Ability to read, write, listen, and speak effectively.

3.13.2. Critical Thinking Skills

Ability to raise clear and precise questions, use abstract ideas to interpret information, consider diverse points of view, reach well-reasoned conclusions, and test them against relevant criteria and standards.

3.13.5. Formal Ordering Systems

Understanding of the fundamentals of visual perception and the principles and systems of order that inform two- and three-dimensional design, architectural composition, and urban design.

3.13.8. Western Traditions

Understanding of the Western architectural canons and traditions in architecture, landscape and urban design, as well as the climatic, technological, socioeconomic, and other cultural factors that have shaped and sustained them.

3.13.9. Non-Western Traditions

Understanding of parallel and divergent canons and traditions of architecture and urban design in the non-Western world.

3.13.10. National and Regional Traditions

Understanding of national traditions and the local regional heritage in architecture, landscape design and urban design, including the vernacular tradition.

Requirements

Attendance is required for the Monday/Wednesday lectures, as well as the Friday seminars. Your participation is also required in the Friday seminars. Assignments will be geared toward developing your skill in analyzing and discussing architecture. You will be required to write two papers both of 3-5 pages in length. Two examinations will test your understanding of the material covered in the first two-thirds of the semester. The final examination will cover the entire semester with an emphasis on the final third.

Schedule of Assignments

Exam 1:  September 24

Paper 1:  October 15
Exam 2:  October 29

Paper 2:  November 19

Final Exam:  December 10 at 8:00 am

Grading

The final course grade will be determined as follows:
Papers: 30% (2 at 15% each)
In-Class Exams: 30% (2 at 15% each)
Final Exam: 30%
Seminar: 10%

Academic honesty

Academic honesty is expected of all CUA students. Faculty are required to initiate the imposition of sanctions when they find violations of academic honesty, such as plagiarism, improper use of a student’s own work, cheating, and fabrication. 

The following sanctions are presented in the University procedures related to Student Academic Dishonesty (from http://policies.cua.edu/academicundergrad/integrityprocedures.cfm): “The presumed sanction for undergraduate students for academic dishonesty will be failure for the course. There may be circumstances, however, where, perhaps because of an undergraduate student’s past record, a more serious sanction, such as suspension or expulsion, would be appropriate. In the context of graduate studies, the expectations for academic honesty are greater, and therefore the presumed sanction for dishonesty is likely to be more severe, e.g., expulsion. ...In the more unusual case, mitigating circumstances may exist that would warrant a lesser sanction than the presumed sanction.”

Please review the complete texts of the University policy and procedures regarding Student Academic Dishonesty, including requirements for appeals, at http://policies.cua.edu/academicundergrad/integrity.cfm.

Class Policies

• Attendance is required
• Class starts promptly at ten after the hour. Do NOT arrive late, as you will be asked to leave.
• Participation is required in your discussion section. A portion of your final grade will factor in your participation or lack thereof.
• There will be NO cell phones in class. If your phone rings, you will be asked to leave.
• Papers must be turned in no later than ten after the hour. Late papers will be marked down a full letter grade.
• Papers must be submitted directly to your discussion leader. Papers placed in the professor’s mailbox will NOT be accepted.
• Papers must be submitted in hard copy. No electronic submissions will be accepted.
• Exams begin promptly at ten after the hour. As they are timed slide exams, arriving late will mean that you simply miss portions of the exam.
• Absences will only be excused for illness (a doctor’s note MUST be provided) or a death in your immediate family (with proper documentation).

Note-Taking

One objective in this course is to develop the graphic note-taking skills that you will carry forward with you in architecture school. While the bulk of your notes will relying on the written word, you must begin to develop the ability to take graphics notes that employ quick sketches of buildings from the many slides you will be shown. To assist you in this process, notes for this course MUST be taken in a sketchbook with blank pages. Also, notes are to be written by hand (i.e., NO computer note-taking).

Email

Throughout the semester, the TAs and I will need to contact students via email. It is your responsibility to maintain your CUA email account, ensure that your inbox is not full, and check your email regularly.

Campus Resources for student support
Students are encouraged to visit the Writing Center on campus for assistance on the two required papers. You can find more information at their website: http://english.cua.edu/wc3/.

The Engineering, Architecture and Mathematics Library is located in Pangborn Hall, just east of the Crough Center. More information on hours and circulation policies can be found at their website: http://libraries.cua.edu/engcoll/index.html.

Accommodations for students with disabilities
Any student who feels s/he may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact the instructor privately to discuss specific needs. Please contact Disability Support Services (at 202 319-5211, room 207 Pryzbyla Center) to coordinate reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities. To read about the services and policies, please visit the website: http://disabilitysupport.cua.edu.