Rome - Architecture and Urbanism

ARC 511-001, ARC 699
History / Theory Seminar / Research Methods
Fall 2008

Professor Julia Smyth-Pinney
Office: 203A Miller Hall
Email: jsmyth@uky.edu

Meeting Time: Fridays, 11:00 AM - 1:30 PM
Place: to be announced
Class Size: to be announced
Pre-Requisites: completion of the College of Design ARC 111 through ARC 325 History/Theory lecture sequence or the equivalent, OR graduate student status, OR approval of the instructor.
Upper-level undergraduate students from related disciplines are encouraged to contact the professor about enrollment in the course.

This seminar will investigate topics in Roman architecture and urbanism, and ways of thinking about history and its products. From the Bronze Age to the 21st century, Rome has been a vital source for the world's cultural heritage, so the "Eternal City" and its architecture provides a unique yet universal case study. Students should expect to finish the semester with a deep understanding of Rome's urban and architectural history, the city's spatial development, and a wider knowledge of research issues in architecture today.

Topics that explore the city's architecture and urban form will include:
Mapping Rome - Ideas about measuring and depicting space, from ancient Ptolemaic systems through medieval imagery, Renaissance views, accurate Baroque maps and engraved vistas, to current GPS and satellite methods.
Architects, Patrons, and Politics - Issues in the development of the profession, from Vitruvius through medieval craft societies and 16th century papal patronage systems, to the saga of Richard Meier's Ara Pacis commission.
Rome's Infrastructures - Analysis of Rome's roads, walls, and gates, and Rome's water resources from the Tiber River and the Roman aqueducts to sewers and fountains.
Building Rome - Linkages among methods, means, and procedures for construction, from the Pantheon's dome, through Renaissance and Baroque building practices, to modern preservation theory.

Methods of graduate student research will be the other focus of this class. Weekly assignments (in pairs and individually) and in-class discussions are designed to provide powerful, cooperative support and guidance to each student at each phase of the research process: identifying topics and choosing methods of analysis, creating bibliographies and assessing sources, shaping arguments and communicating ideas.

Activities and Evaluation:
Each seminar meeting will include a lecture, open discussion of topical issues raised by the lecture and reading assignments, and support with research progress and methods. Graded assignments will include analytical maps and timelines, informal written assignments, and a final individual research presentation and paper.