This special topics interdisciplinary course is co-taught by a Librarian and Theater Professor. While we will study space and particular social issues related to urban environments, we will not be studying architecture in the most limited sense (how building are designed). Rather, we are training you to think about how the ordering of space encourages and/or limits the behaviors of users. Architects are trained to analyze space in this way. Also, architects are involved in planning outdoor urban spaces, and we will be studying the ways urban spaces are designed by the administrative class and how they are used and re-imagined by everyday people.
Manifesto: The world is at a crisis point because of mismanagement of resources and the destruction of places. One significant reason is because western culture has become individualistic to a fault and addicted to consumption. We have lost the sense of concern for the well-being of other communities and environments. In this course we will develop awareness of the physical world, enrich our minds to appreciate the ways our urban environments have deteriorated, envision a just and healthy future, and creatively advocate for revitalization.