MCCCD Program Description

Introduction to Western Architecture

Course: ARC101

First Term: 2011 Spring

Lecture 3 Credit(s) 3 Period(s) 3 Load
Subject Type: Academic
Load Formula: S

Description: Survey of Western Architecture from prehistory to current times. Includes social and philosophical factors shaping predominant styles and theory across the periods.

MCCCD Official Course Competencies
1. Compare/contrast accepted definitions of art, architecture, and buildings. (I) 2. Match key monuments to their historical period; describe stylistic characteristics placing them in those periods. (II-IX) 3. Describe societal factors shaping architectural responses of the periods. (II-IX) 4. Define key terminology appropriate to the various architectural styles. (II-IX) 5. Identify key figures and historical developments influencing architectural styles of the periods. (I-IX) 6. Describe symbolic associations attached to the periods. (II-IX) 7. Describe artistic intentions/personal design ethics underpinning stylistic expressions of the periods. (II-IX)
MCCCD Official Course Competencies must be coordinated with the content outline so that each major point in the outline serves one or more competencies. MCCCD faculty retains authority in determining the pedagogical approach, methodology, content sequencing, and assessment metrics for student work. Please see individual course syllabi for additional information, including specific course requirements.

MCCCD Official Course Outline
I. What is Architecture? - Art versus Buildings II. Prehistory/Antiquity A. Societal factors shaping the included periods B. Building types; selected monuments C. Stylistic characteristics D. Symbolic /artistic underpinnings E. Terminology F. Periods 1. Neolithic/Megalithic 2. Egypt 3. Mesopotamia 4. Greek 5. Roman III. Middle Ages/Medieval - The Age of Faith A. Societal factors shaping the included periods B. Building types; selected monuments C. Stylistic characteristics D. Symbolic/artistic underpinnings E. Terminology F. Periods 1. Early Christian 2. Byzantine 3. Romanesque 4. Gothic IV. Renaissance - Classicism in the Age of Humanism A. Societal factors shaping the included periods B. Building types; selected monuments C. Stylistic characteristics D. Symbolic/artistic underpinnings E. Terminology F. Periods 1. Italy 2. France 3. England 4. Spain V. Baroque - Classicism in the Age of Ostentatiousness A. Societal factors shaping the included periods B. Building types; selected monuments C. Stylistic characteristics D. Symbolic/artistic underpinnings E. Terminology F. Periods 1. Italy 2. France 3. England 4. Spain VI. Rococo - An Interior Style A. Societal factors shaping the included periods B. Building types; selected monuments C. Stylistic characteristics D. Symbolic/artistic underpinnings E. Terminology F. Periods 1. France 2. Germany/Austria 3. Spain VII. 18th Century - Vision and Revival A. Societal factors shaping the included periods B. Building types; selected monuments C. Stylistic characteristics D. Symbolic/artistic underpinnings E. Terminology F. Periods 1. Visionary architecture -- France 2. Neoclassicism/Anglo-Palladianism - Europe/America 3. Gothic revival 4. The Picturesque VIII. 19th Century - Path to Modernism A. Societal factors shaping the included periods B. Rise and influence of architectural theory/schools C. The big debate: In what style shall we build? 1. Historical/revival styles 2. Attached symbolism D. Rise of Germany and the United States E. Building types; selected monuments F. Stylistic characteristics G. Symbolic/artistic underpinnings H. Terminology I. Periods 1. International Neoclassicism 2. Victorian/Gothic 3. Victorian/Romanesque Revival 4. Architecture of Technology -- cast iron/glass 5. Vernacular styles 6. Early modernism - the Chicago school 7. Art Nouveau IX. 20th/21st Centuries - Modernism A. Societal factors shaping the included periods B. Building types; selected monuments C. Stylistic characteristics D. Symbolic/artistic underpinnings E. Terminology F. Periods 1. Expressionism - creature, cave, and crystal 2. Modernism - Europe and America 3. Post-Modernism/Second Modernism 4. Deconstructionism 5. Personal styles/design ethic

MCCCD Governing Board Approval Date: 6/22/2010

All information published is subject to change without notice. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information presented, but based on the dynamic nature of the curricular process, course and program information is subject to change in order to reflect the most current information available.