The request to revise the School of Architecture graduate curriculum
Date: July 6, 2011
To: College of Arts + Architecture
From: Clarence Greene, Faculty Governance Assistant
Approved On: June 21, 2011
Implementation Date: 2011
Note: Deletions are strikethroughs. Insertions are underlined.
Summary
The School of Architecture proposes to:
- add six new courses to its MArch Program (ARCH, 5203, 5604, 5605, 6306/6307, 6602, and 6603),
- eliminate one course (ARCH 7110), and
- make minor revisions to the sequence of coursework.
The proposal changes the total credit hours required for the MArch degree, raising the number to 96 credit hours for the 3+ year curriculum (currently 89 credits hours) and 60 credit hours for the 2-year curriculum (currently 56 credit hours). Approval for these changes are part of this proposal.
Along with these changes comes a renumbering and retitling of courses to provide clarity and to better comply with sequence nomenclature and classification. For reference, see separate Short Form Memo ARCH Graduate 3-16-2011 that address these minor changes.
Changes sought in this proposal, and the parallel Short Form Memo ARCH Graduate 3-16-2011 proposal, once approved, will be partially implemented beginning Fall 2011 with all changes in effect by Fall 2012.
Catalog Copy
Catalog copy for new coursework proposed includes:
ARCH 5203: Architectural History III: Survey of Contemporary Theory (1950-Present). (3) Prerequisite: ARCH 5202 or permission of instructor. This course is a survey of architecture theory from 1950 to the present. It focuses on the key ideas, texts, debates, and discourse that have informed architectural practice in the late twentieth and early twenty-first century. (Fall)
ARCH 5604 Computational Methods. (3) Prerequisite: ARCH 6603. Corequisite: ARCH 7101 or permission of instructor. This course introduces students to the fundamental concepts of computation through explorations with basic scripting and parametric tools. The goal is to understand the potential of computation and the role it can play as part of one’s design process, not as a collection of specific tools, but as a way of thinking about design. (Fall)
ARCH 5605. Computational Practice. (3) Prerequisite: ARCH 5604 or permission of instructor. This course is the capstone for digital media and computational studies in the School of Architecture. The goal of this seminar course is to provide students with experience using advanced digital tools and methods, including digital fabrication, parametrics, Building Information Modeling/Management (BIM), scripting, and performance analysis in preparation for professional practice and/or advanced graduate research. (Spring)
ARCH 6306/6307: Technology Topic. (3) Prerequisite: ARCH 5305 or permission of instructor. This course focuses on the study of topical areas of technology in architecture. These courses provide an in-depth extension of the five required technology courses. The course may be selected from a number of designated technology courses that examine specific issues contributing to architecture as a process of investigation, innovation, analysis and/or research. May be repeated for credit as course topics change. (Fall andSpring)
ARCH 6602. Representation I: Fundamentals. (3) Prerequisite: ARCH 6100. Corequisite: ARCH 6101 or permission of instructor. A fundamental visual and architectural skills course that includes lessons in: visual composition, 2D design and communication, 3D physical models, graphic and photographic image manipulation, and craft in design. The course also includes readings and criticism, which address the artistic and architectural correlation of these skills. (Fall)
ARCH 6603. Representation II: Digital Fundamentals. (3) Prerequisite: ARCH 6602. Corequisite ARCH 6102. This course introduces students to architectural drafting (2D) and modeling (3D) using digital tools and processes. The expected outcome of this course is a student who is skillful, adaptable, and, most of all, critical towards digital media. (Spring)