ARC181H1S Technologies of Architecture, Landscape, Urbanism and Art I
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Technologies of Architecture, Landscape, Urbanism and Art I
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ARC181H1S L0101
COURSE TITLE: Technologies of Architecture, Landscape, Urbanism and Art I
CLASSROOM LOCATION: BT101
CLASS HOURS: Thursdays, 9am-11am + Assigned Tutorial
OFFICE HOURS: Thursdays, 1pm-2.30pm, Daniels Café
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
...ideas are not stockpiled in heaven to be contemplated by
philosophy...new ideas are constantly appearing in the heat
of theory’s battle against a raw, resistant world.
—Vilém Flusser
...a city is hardware, in all senses.
—Reinhold Martin
This course is intended to introduce undergraduate students to the history and theory of technics as it
relates to all design disciplines. It is thematically organized; rather than pursue a progressive and
historicist narrative of the development of ever-more sophisticated technologies and then chart those in
the progression of architectural “styles,” the course will follow a method that describes all cultural
artifacts—including, especially, architecture, landscape, urbanism, and art—as in and of themselves
technical. They are the product of highly articulated techniques; they are always not simply things but
also media; and, lastly, their continued significance depends entirely upon their repeated re-mediation.
The course is organized into four sections, each of which identify certain technical functions
characteristic of design techniques: (re)producing (which includes planning, mapping, writing, copying,
and mass producing); lifting (which includes building, ornamenting, mining, and harvesting), depicting
(which includes all manner of representational techniques), and moving (which includes infrastructures,
corporate formations, and machinery for reducing what economists call “transaction costs”).
Throughout the course, the central focus of the course will be on beginning to understand the
basic, constitutive elements of knowledge that constitute architecture; however, whenever appropriate,
lectures and discussion sections will treat highly significant artifacts from the history of landscape,
urbanism, art, and various industrial and infrastructural products that are not usually classed with the first
four categories.
Course Objectives
By the conclusion of the course, students will have a broad familiarity with the main lines of technical
development in the history of architecture, landscape, urbanism, and art, including the economic,
philosophical and aesthetic concepts underpinning those developments. They will also possess
rudimentary knowledge of technical and architectural historiography, be able to maintain a rigorously
organized annotated bibliography of the assigned readings, and be capable of producing a clear précis of
a complex text.
Assignments and Important Dates
In addition to completing all of the assigned readings for the course, attending lectures and discussion
sections, there are two main assignments for the course: 1. an annotated bibliography of all assigned
required readings (noted in the schedule of classes below and marked with an asterisk); and 2. two précis
on any of two assigned or recommended readings listed in the schedule of classes below. More precise
instructions on these assignments will be given in class, and guidelines for how to complete both
assignments will be issued in the second week of class.
There will also be a midterm exam, administered during tutorial, which will be composed of multiple
choice questions based upon the content of lectures and readings.
Attendance will be kept by the teaching assistants. Each student must sign in at each lecture and
discussion section after the first lecture (i.e. attendance will be kept from Weeks 2 through 12). Any
more than two unexcused absences will result in a failing grade in the course. An excused absence is
given only if the student notifies his or her assigned teaching assistant in advance of the course session
to be missed, or if the student presents written evidence for her/his absence (e.g. from a medical
professional, academic advisor, etc.).
For any and all discrepancies between the schedule of classes below and the dates listed on the website,
please consider the website to be correct.
General Note on Evaluation
Evaluation will be carried out in accordance with the University Assessment and Grading Practices Policy.
Evaluation
In addition to basic participation in the course (i.e., completing the assigned readings, attending class
meetings, and contributing to class discussions), there are two primary assignments for the course, each
of which is described in greater detail in an appendix to this course outline.
Fulfillment of the basic participation requirement counts for 25% of each student’s grade in the course.
The first assignment is an annotated bibliography, which is an organized bibliography accompanied
by specific notes on the text. This should be maintained throughout the course of the semester, and will
be evaluated on the following basis: 1. Does the annotated bibliography conform to the bibliographic
standards laid out in The Chicago Manual of Style (15th or 16th ed.)? 2. Does the annotated bibliography
contain notes for each required reading in the schedule of classes? No qualitative assessment of the
notes will figure in the assessment of the grade. The annotated bibliography counts for 25% of each
student’s grade in the course.
The second assignment is to produce, by the end of the term, two separate précis of two separate
texts from the required or recommended reading for the course. The length of the précis depends
somewhat upon the overall length of the text being summarized, but as a rule the précis should be no
longer than three pages, double-spaced, 12 pt. font. Specific guidelines on précis writing will be
distributed in the second week of the class, and both the professor and the teaching assistants will also
devote class time to discussing how best to write an effective précis. The two précis count for 25% of
each student’s grade in the course.
The midterm exam counts for 25% of each student’s grade in the course.
Late Work
All assignments are due in class or submitted via e-mail at the specified time and date. Late submission
will result in a 10% deduction of each assignment’s total grade per business day (excluding weekends).
In the case of illness or other special circumstance, notification should be given to the professor and the
Registrar as soon as possible and before the deadline in question; where required, the official University
of Toronto Verification of Student Illness or Injury form should be submitted.
Final Due Date
Students are not permitted to submit work past the 12 April 2018 deadline unless they have formally (i.e.
in writing) requested and received special permission from the Daniels Faculty administration to do so.
There is no guarantee that the professor will approve such a request, but every provision will be granted
under the appropriate circumstances.
Preparedness at UofT
Students are advised to consult the University’s preparedness site (http://www.preparedness.utoronto.ca)
for information and regular updates regarding procedures for emergency planning.
ACCESSIBILITY NEEDS:
Accessibility Services provides academic accommodations in collaboration with students, staff and faculty
to support students with documented disabilities in equal opportunities to achieve academic and co-
curricular success. If you are a student who identifies with one or more of the broad categories below, we
encourage you to register with Accessibility Services (http://www.accessibility.utoronto.ca/). For any
questions or assistance, please see the staff in the Office of the Registrar and Student Services.
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
• Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Brain Injury and Concussion
• Chronic Health
• Deaf and Hard of Hearing
• Learning Disability
• Mental Health
• Mobility and Functional
• Low Vision / Legally Blind
• Temporary Injuries
Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is essential to the pursuit of learning and scholarship in a university, and to ensuring
that a degree from the University of Toronto is a strong signal of each student’s individual academic
achievement. As a result, the University treats cases of cheating and plagiarism very seriously. The
University of Toronto’s Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters
(www.governingcouncil.utoronto.ca/policies/behaveac.htm) outlines the behaviours that constitute
academic dishonesty and the processes for addressing academic offences. Potential offences include,
but are not limited to:
In papers and assignments:
1. Using someone else’s ideas or words without appropriate acknowledgement.
2. Submitting your own work in more than one course without the permission of the instructor.
3. Making up sources or facts.
4. Obtaining or providing unauthorized assistance on any assignment.
On tests and exams:
1. Using or possessing unauthorized aids.
2. Looking at someone else’s answers during an exam or test.
3. Misrepresenting your identity.
In academic work:
1. Falsifying institutional documents or grades.
2. Falsifying or altering any documentation required by the University, including (but not limited to)
doctor’s notes.
All suspected cases of academic dishonesty will be investigated following procedures outlined in the
Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters. If you have questions or concerns about what constitutes
appropriate academic behaviour or appropriate research and citation methods, you are expected to seek
out additional information on academic integrity from your instructor or from other institutional resources
ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND WRITING SUPPORT:
The University of Toronto expects its students to write well, and it provides a number of resources to help.