B642 – Architecture and Society

Module
Architecture and Society
Architektur und Gesellschaft
Module number
B642 [MAW4]
Version: 1
Faculty
Civil Engineering
Level
Master
Duration
1 Semester
Semester
Summer semester
Module supervisor

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Mary Pepchinski
mary.pepchinski(at)htw-dresden.de
Lecturer(s)

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Mary Pepchinski
mary.pepchinski(at)htw-dresden.de
Course language(s)

English
in "Architektur und Gesellschaft/Architecture and Society"
ECTS credits

5.00 credits

Workload

150 hours

Courses

4.00 SCH (2.00 SCH Lecture | 2.00 SCH Seminar)
Self-study time

90.00 hours

Pre-examination(s)
None
Examination(s)

Alternative examination - Presentation
Examination time: 35 min | Weighting: 40%
in "Architektur und Gesellschaft/Architecture and Society"

Alternative examination - Paper
Weighting: 60%
in "Architektur und Gesellschaft/Architecture and Society"
Form of teaching

Vorlesung mit Powerpoint Präsentationen; Diskussionen;

Seminar mit Powerpoint Präsentation, diskussionen; 


Lecture with Powerpoint Presentations; discussions;

Seminar with Powerpoint Presentation, diskussions.
Media type

Powerpoint, PDF or Keynote Präsentationen

Powerpoint, PDF or Keynote Presentations
Instruction content/structure

 

The course "Architecture and Society" introduces students to the manner in which cultural constructions of gender influence and shape the professional identity of the architect, the writing an content of architectural discourse and architectural theory as well as the design and realization of buildings and cities. Due to the increasing globalization of the architectural profession, it is imperative that students acquire knowledge pertaining to how constructions of gender impact the manner in which space is conceived and used in other cultures as well, especially in relation to factors such as gender, class, ethnicity and sexual orientation.

 

Each year this elective course will focus on one theme to explore issues related to gender, architecture and social change. Themes for these courses include:

  • The experiences of women and men in the profession of architecture in both present day and historical contexts;
  • The (explicit and implicit) influence that cultural constructions of gender have had upon the production of theory and mainstream architectural discourse ("key texts") in both current and historical contexts;
  • The (explicit and implicit) influence that cultural constructions of gender have had upon the planning, the realization and the perception of buildings and cities;
  • The ways in which different groups perceive bodies in space (for example, morals, sense of shame, etc.) and how these attitudes influence the planning and utilization of buildings and cities in differing cultures;

finally,

  • The values and cultural assumptions, which can have consequences for a gender-based analysis, which inform the development, production and the application of technology (structural systems, building materials and construction methods; computer software and hardware; media products and applications).
Qualification objectives

Students will become aware of and acquire an understanding of the ways in which cultural constructions of gender shape the professional identity of the architect, architectural discourse and architectural theory as well as the design and realization of buildings and cities, particularly in a globalized context. Depending on the particular focus of the course, students will become sensitized towards the manner in which the professional figure of the architect has been constructed in their own and in other (contemporary and historical) contexts and will acquire knowledge pertaining to the manner in which physical artifacts such as buildings, cities and technology is conceived and used in other cultures, with particular attention given to factors such as gender, class, ethnicity and sexual orientation.

Social and personal skills

Students will apply the knowledge of the scientific method with they acquired during their successful completion of the Bachelor degree. Through preparing the oral report and the written report, students will acquire advanced knowledge pertaining to the use scientific method, particularly when focused on researching and exploring issues related to architecture, professional identity, social change and gender. They will learn how to organize this information and learn how to present this information to their peers.

 
Special admission requirements
No information
Recommended prerequisites

A strong working knowledge of the architectural history and theory of the 19th and 20th century in addition to some background in architectural sociology is strongly recommended.

 

Regularly enrolled students at the HTW Dresden: admission to the Master program in Architecture; Level C1/C2 English competency or equivalency.

 

Exchange students: completion of at least 5 semesters in an architectural program at a partner institution; Level C1/C2 English competency or equivalency.

 
Continuation options
No information
Literature
  • Sarah Allaback: The first American women architects. Urbana 2008.
  • Annmarie Adams: Designing women: gender and the architecture profession. Toronto 2000.
  • Dana Arnold: Reading architectural history. London 2002.
  • Katharina Baisch (ed.): Gender revisited. Weimar 2002.
  • Hazel Clark (ed.): Design Studies: a reader. Oxford 2009.
  • Louise Durning (ed.): Gender and architecture, New York 2000.
  • Alice T. Friedman: Women and the making of the modern house. A social and architectural history. New York, 1998.
  • Marjan Groot: Vrouwen in de vormgeving in Nederland: 1880-1940, Rotterdam 2007.
  • Francesca Hughes (ed.): The architect: reconstructing her practice. Cambridge, 1996.
  • Pat Kirkham (ed.) DIversity and Difference. Women designers in the USA, 1900-2000. New Haven/London 2000.
  • Tanjy Kullack (ed.): Architektur – eine weibliche Profession / Architecture – a feminine profession. Berlin 2011.
  • Mary Pepchinski: Feminist Space. Weimar 2007.
  • Jane Rendell (ed.): Gender space and architecture: an interdisciplinary introduction. London 2000.
  • Katerina Rüedi (ed.): Desiring practices: architecture, gender and the interdisciplinary. London 1996.
  • Daphne Spain: How women saved the city. Minneapolis 2001.
  • Ulla Terlinden (ed.): City and gender: international discourse on gender, urbanism and architecture. Opladen 2003.
  • Margaret Birney Vickery: Buildings for bluestocking: the architecture and social histpry of women's colleges in late Victorian England. Newark (Del.) 1999.
  • Christina von Braun (ed.): Gender@Wissen: ein Handbuch der Gender-Theorien. Cologne/Weimar/Vienna 2005.
  • Thaï̈̈sa Way: Unbounded practice: women and landscape architecture in the early twentieth century. Charlottesville and London, 2009.
  • Mary Wyer (ed.) Women, science and technology: a reader in feminist science studies. New York and London, 2001.

 

Additional literature will be indicated at the beginning of the course.

 
Current teaching resources

Links:

Gender Curricula in Bachelor & Master Courses/Architecture:

http://www.gender-curricula.com/en/gender-curricula/gender-curricula-detailansicht/?uid=56&casegroup=all&cHash=d9044263ea8c713cc8e584d902f88d4e

 

DVDs:

  • The Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation: 100 Women in the Studio of Frank Lloyd Wright – "A girl is a fellow here". New York 2009.
  • James Cohn, Bill Jersey: Eames: the architect and the painter. 2012.
  • Jörg Bundschuh, Carmen Kirchweger: Eileen Gray: invitation to a voyage. Munich 2006.
  • Richard Copans: Zaha Hadid: Phaeno - Wissenschaftsmuseum Wolfsburg / eine Dokumentation von Richard Copans / The Science Center in Wolfsburg. Baukunst 5, Richard Copans, Frédéric Copain (eds.). Berlin 2007.

 
Notes
No information
Link to course/learning resources in OPAL
Close detail view
© Modulux (Version 4.3)