Fall semester only; W 9:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., Room 153
Small, focused, introductory-level course in discussion, workshop and/or design-based format on topics related to current research in architecture.
Charles Moore, in The Place of Houses, speculates on the idea of the home: “You bind the goods and trappings of your life together with your dreams to make a place that is uniquely your own. In doing so you build a semblance of the world you know, adding it to the community that surrounds you.” In this seminar, we consider the house typology as a connective thread through history with embedded representational imagery and political implications. We focus our discussion in the time period from 1910 to the present, looking primarily (but not exclusively) at American examples. We examine the various forces that define the domestic realm, and bring that larger view to specific Houston examples. The class is divided into three segments (historical, representational, and political/cultural), each beginning with overview lectures and discussions and followed by short readings, guest lectures, and field trips. The goal is to look very closely at parts of a large subject, to edit to the essentials, and to find specificity and detail by developing student responses in word and image. Open to non-architecture students, sophomores and above. Space is limited and registration does not guarantee a space in this course. The final course roster is formulated on the first day of class by the individual instructor.