History of architecture : contemporary issues

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :

The History of Architecture teaching unit is designed to provide a set of references.  It will however avoid considering history as merely a reservoir of examples, but attempt to analyse it ¿historically¿, i.e. to put these examples in their context to gain better understanding of their deep meaning. 

The main objective of the unit is to examine and (attempt to) understand architecture as a complex phenomenon, at the same time intellectual, physical and social in nature and what it means, taking a strictly historical approach.

Specific learning outcomes:

By the end of this course, students will be able to

• be familiar with the relative chronology and the link between the successive contributions of some major designers.
• analyse the products and ¿theories¿ which have grown in number since the Renaissance.
• analyse products as a reflection of ideology and power.

Contribution to the learning outcomes reference network:

Build knowledge of architecture

• Be familiar with and analyse the discipline¿s basic references
• Be able to use given references which, by analogy, can lead to other interpretations of the context
• Develop knowledge and become an active participant in the learning process

Place the action

• Identify and analyse the paradigms on which the study is based according to various given methods and starting from various points of view
• Formulate questions relating to the development of the context being studied to make working hypotheses

Make use of other subjects

• Make strategic use of other subjects to put into question the design and implementation of an architectural project

Express an architectural procedure

• Test and use relevant means of communication in relation to the intended audience and the target objectives

Make committed choices

• Make links between different methodological and epistemological perspectives