Minnesota State University, Mankato Urban and Regional Studies Institute Course Syllabus URBS 110 The City: Design and Architecture Course ID 005721 Section 03 Class Time Monday and Wednesday, 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 Tuesday: 9:00 a.m. 11:00 a.m. Wednesday: 2:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m. Friday: 9:00 a.m. Noon; 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 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, cell phone use is expressly prohibited during the class; cell phones are to remain off or in the silent mode during class. Notebook computers are to be used for note taking only. If there is an emergency that requires you to use your cell phones, this must be cleared with your instructor prior to class. 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. (00). 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.
The City: Design and Architecture. Page 3 Fricano, R. (08) Our international heritage. 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. (09) 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, two (2) absences are allowed in a two-hour class.
The City: Design and Architecture. Page 4 GRADE DETERMINATION Course Requirements Points Awarded Percent of Total Final Project Presentation: Final Project Paper: Tests: Weekly Assignments: Attendance/Participation in Class Discussions: % % % % % TOTAL 100 100% Grading Scale Percent of Points Number of Points Grade 97-100% 94-96% 90-93% 87-89% 84-86% 80-83% 77-79% 74-76% 70-73% 67-69% 64-66% 60-63% 59% 97-100 94-96 90-93 87-89 84-86 80-83 77-79 74-76 70-73 67-69 64-66 60-63 59 A+ A A- B+ B B- C+ C C- D+ D D- F DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC ASSIGNMENTS Students will be evaluated based on examinations, quizzes, assignments, term papers, class participation and a project. Examinations: Three tests and a final examination will be administered throughout the semester. Exams are open-book. Students are expected to give each exam topic a thoughtful treatment demonstrating and applying concepts learned in the course. Assignments: Take-home assignments are given on a periodic to assess knowledge and demonstrate an understanding of applications. This consist primarily of short written papers on a specific 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 used to read the city and how and why buildings were designed and situated. Class Participation: See Course Outcomes.
The City: Design and Architecture. Page 5 COURSE OUTLINE INTRODUCTION Due Dates Topics Assignments Week of August 26 Introduction/Course Overview. Nuttgens, Chapter 1 Interpreting Design & Architecture. Origin and Development of Cities. Nuttgens, Chapter 1 Selection of a city. PART I: THE ANCIENT WORLD Due Dates Topics Assignments Week of September 2 Early Mesopotamian Cities. Nuttgens, Chapter 2. Week of September 9 Ancient Egypt Nuttgens, Chapter 3. Week of September 16 Ancient Greece. Nuttgens, Chapter 7. Week of September 23 Ancient Rome. Nuttgens, Chapter 8. Week of September 30 Early Christian & Byzantine. Nuttgens, Chapter 9. Test # 1 PART II: THE EMERGING CITY Due Dates Topics Assignments Week of October 7 Dark Ages/Early Medieval Europe. Gothic/High Middle Ages. Nuttgens, Chapter 12. Kaplan, et. al., Chapter 2. (Reserve) Emergence of Trade Cities Week of October 14 Renaissance Europe. Nuttgens, Chapters 13-15. Week of October 21 Grand World Tour: China & Japan. Nuttgens, Chapter 5. Week of October 28 Grand World Tour: Africa, India & Middle East. Nuttgens, Chapters 4 & 11. Week of November 4 Ancient Mesoamerica. Nuttgens, Chapter 6. Test # 2 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 6 PART III: UNITED STATES CITIES Due Dates * Topics Assignments Week of November 11 Colonial America. Nuttgens, Chapters 17 & 18. Industrial Revolution. Week of November 18 The Expanding City. Designing for a New Society. Nuttgens, Chapters 19 &. Wrigley (Reserve) Week of November 25 The Architecture of Pluralism. Nuttgens, Chapter 21. Week of December 2 Review and Wrap Up. Paper Due December 2 Week of December 9 Final Exam Week * Dates are estimates. Examinations, quizzes or assignments on dates other than those listed will be announced at least one week in advance.