Minnesota State University, Mankato Urban and Regional Studies Institute Course Syllabus URBS 110 The City: Design and Architecture Section 01 Class Time Tuesday and Thursday, 12:30-1:45 p.m. Class Locations Morris Hall 0103 Textbook Nuttgens, P. (1997). The Story of Architecture. Second Edition. London, UK: Phaidon Press Instructor Russell J. Fricano, Ph.D., AICP Assistant Professor Office Morris Hall 106 D Office Hours Monday: 9:30 11:30 a.m.; 1:30 4:30 p.m. Wednesday: 9:30 11:30 a.m.; 1:30 4:30 p.m. Meetings outside of office hours can be arranged by appointment. Availability during office hours may be periodically affected by faculty meetings or other mandatory activities. E-mail address russell.fricano@mnsu.edu Telephone number 507-389-1540 COURSE DESCRIPTION This course provides a comprehensive understanding of the evolution of cities and the cultural, social and economic forces that shape city architecture and structure. The goal is for students to become a consumer of the city they live in, understanding how cities of the past influence the contemporary cities. The course places great significance on teaching students how to read a city or how to examine architecture and patterns of city form in a comprehensive fashion and relate them to the forces behind their evolution. In the process students recognize how cities have left a physical record of the past from a spectrum of cultures and historic periods. STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES At the conclusion of this course students are expected to: 1. Identify social, economic and cultural forces that shape architecture and urban areas; 2. Explore the historical evolution of cities from the dawn of man to contemporary times; 3. Understand how essentially rural societies transformed to predominately urban ones; 4. Understand where urban areas are located and why; 5. Assess the characteristics of a city that provide a lasting image in the mind of the observer;
The City: Design and Architecture. Page 2 6. Understand how contemporary post modernist development trends in the United States relate to traditional social, political and cultural, values of American society. CLASS FORMAT This course will be presented in a series of lectures augmented with readings, application exercises and other activities. COURSE OUTCOMES Class Participation: Students are expected to attend class on a regular basis, be punctual and actively participate in class discussions. Students sign an attendance sheet at the beginning of class. Extreme or repeated tardiness or leaving class early will not be considered attendance unless you have an excuse cleared with your instructor. If you exceed three absences you will be notified by your instructor. Students are also expected to complete all assignments in a timely fashion. Make-up tests and assignments will not be permitted except for excused absences. Late assignments will be subject to a loss of one point each successive day after the deadline. MNSU policies and procedures on class attendance and code of conduct will be enforced. Cheating, Unauthorized Collaboration and Plagiarism: Cheating, unauthorized collaboration and plagiarism are serious forms of academic misconduct. MNSU Academic Policies and Procedures will be enforced accordingly. Students should be mindful that this can occur from copying the works of authorities or your peers and downloading of reports from the internet. In his previous assignment, your instructor has been very successful in spotting collaboration and plagiarism; don t let this happen to you! Use of Cell Phones & Notebook Computers: When you text your family or friends or read social media postings during class, you are in class physically, but not mentally. For this reason, refrain from using cell phones; cell phones are to remain off or in the silent mode during class. If there is an emergency that requires you to use your cell phones, this must be cleared with your instructor prior to class. Notebook computers are to be used for note taking only. Course Schedule: The instructor reserves the right to make adjustments or changes to the course schedule, materials and assignments as determined necessary. SERVICES FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES The University provides environmental and programmatic access for persons with documented disabilities as defined in Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disability Act of 1990. Any student who desires information or assistance in arranging needed services for a disabling condition should first register with the Office of Disability Services located in 0132 Memorial Library, Office phone: 507-389-2825, TDD 711, then contact me as soon as possible. OTHER CLASS SOURCES Arendt, R. (1994) Rural by Design. (Chicago, IL: Planners Press) Beatley, T. and Manning, K. (1997) The Ecology of Place: Planning for Environment, Economy and Community. (Washington D.C.: Island Press) Duany, A., Plater-Zyberk, E. & Speck, J. (2000). Suburban Nation. The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream. New York, NY: North Point Press. Duany, A. and Talen, E. Transect planning. Journal of the American Planning Association. 68 (3). 245-266. Fricano, R. (2008) Our international heritage.
The City: Design and Architecture. Page 3 Gallion, A. and Eisner, S. (1986) The Urban Pattern: City Planning and Design. Fifth Edition (New York, NY: Van Norstrand Reinhold) Gans,, H. (1962). The Urban Villagers: Group and Class in the Life of Italian Americans. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster. Gerckens, L. (1988). Historical development of American city planning. In So, Frank S, (Ed.) The Practice of Local Government Planning. Second Edition. (Washington D.C: ICMA) Jacobs, J. (1961). The Death and Life of Great American Cities. New York, NY: Random House. Kaplan, D., Wheeler, J. and Holloway, S. (2009) Urban Geography. Second Edition. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. Katz, P. (1994). The New Urbanism: Toward an Architecture of Community. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, Inc. Kunsler, J. (1996). Home from nowhere. The Atlantic Monthly. (September) pp.43-59 Lynch, K. (1960). The Image of the City. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Mumford, L. (1961) The City in History: Its Origins, Its Transformations and Its Prospects. New York, NY: Harcourt, Inc. Peterson, J. (1979). The impact of sanitary reform upon American urban planning. (1840-1890). In Krueckeberg, Donald, A. (Ed.) (1983) Introduction to Planning History in the United States. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers: Center for Urban Policy Research. pp.13-39. Peterson, J. (1976) The City Beautiful movement: Forgotten origins and lost meanings. In Krueckeberg, Donald, A. (Ed.) (1983) Introduction to Planning History in the United States. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers: Center for Urban Policy Research. pp. 40-57. Wilson, W. Moles and skylarks. In Krueckeberg, D. (Ed.) (1983) Introduction to Planning History in the United States. (New Brunswick. NJ: Center for Urban Policy Research) pp.88-121 Wrigley, R. (1960) The Plan of Chicago. In Krueckeberg, D. (Ed.) (1983) Introduction to Planning History in the United States. (New Brunswick. NJ: Center for Urban Policy Research) pp. 58-72 ATTENDANCE POLICY A student is permitted one (1) unexcused absence for each credit hour generated by the class. For example, three (3) absences are allowed in a three credit hour class. USE OF D2L This semester, the instructor is striving for a near paperless class. With exception to your mid-term and final exams, ALL assignments and your final project should be submitted in the designated course dropbox in D2L. Certain class materials will also be posted online.
The City: Design and Architecture. Page 4 GRADE DETERMINATION Course Requirements Points Awarded Percent of Total Final Project Paper: Final Exam Mid-Term Exam Other Class Assignments: Attendance/Participation: 30 20 20 20 10 30% 20% 20% 20% 10% TOTAL 100 100% Grading Scale Percent of Points Number of Points Grade 90-100% 80-89% 70-79% 60-69% 59% 90-100 80-89 70-79 60-69 59 A B C D F DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC ASSIGNMENTS Students will be evaluated based on examinations, assignments, class participation and a MAJOR project. Examinations: A mid-term and a final examination will be administered throughout the semester. Exams are multiple-choice. Assignments: Take-home assignments are given on a periodic to assess knowledge and demonstrate an understanding of applications. These consist primarily of short written papers on a specific topic. Project: The project consists of the application of analytical techniques acquired in this course to the urban architecture and pattern of a selected city. At the conclusion of the course, students will be required to submit a written report (double-spaced no less or greater than 10 pages of text). The report also includes evaluative methodology students use to read the city and how and why buildings were designed and situated. The project is progressive in nature. Students will be required to write and hand in portions of their report throughout the semester for instructor comment. Class Participation: See Course Outcomes. COURSE OUTLINE INTRODUCTION Week of August 24 Introduction/Course Overview. Project Assignment Reading Design & Architecture. Origin and Development of Cities. Nuttgens, Chapter 1 Selection of Project City. Dates are estimates. Examinations, quizzes or assignments on dates other than those listed will be announced at least one week in advance.
The City: Design and Architecture. Page 5 PART I: THE ANCIENT WORLD Week of August 31 Early Mesopotamian Cities. Nuttgens, Chapter 2. Week of September 7 Ancient Egypt. Nuttgens, Chapter 3. Week of September 14 Ancient Greece. Nuttgens, Chapter 7. Week of September 21 Ancient Rome. Nuttgens, Chapter 8. Week of September 28 Early Christian & Byzantine Cities. General Review Nuttgens, Chapter 9. Project: Draft Part 1 Due PART II: THE EMERGING CITY Week of October 7 Mid-Term Exam Nuttgens, Chapter 6 Meso-America Week of October 14 Dark Ages/Early Medieval Europe. Gothic/High Middle Ages. Nuttgens, Chapter 10 Nuttgens, Chapter 12. Week of October 21 Renaissance Europe. Emergence of Trade Cities. Nuttgens, Chapters 13-14. Instructor Material Week of October 28 Baroque & Rococo Nuttgens, Chapter 15 and 16 Romantic Classicism Week of November 2 Colonial America. Industrial Revolution. Nuttgens, Chapters 17 & 18. PART III: CITIES OF THE FUTURE Week of November 9 A New Vision Nuttgens, Chapters 19 &20. Designing for a New Society. Week of November 16 The Architecture of Pluralism Nuttgens, Chapter 21 Project: Draft Part 2 Due PART IV: OUR AFRICAN & EASTERN HERITAGE..
The City: Design and Architecture. Page 6 Week of November 23 Grand World Tour: China & Japan. Nuttgens, Chapter 5. Week of November 30 Grand World Tour: Africa, India & Middle East. Nuttgens, Chapters 4 & 11. General Review and Wrap up Week of December 7 Final Exam Final Project Due