ARTH 093. Building Architecture from Dirt to Dust

This course will offer a history of architecture not as a history of styles or historical periods but as an account of building, making, and constant remaking. Starting from the production of materials from which we construct architecture and ending with the decline, deterioration, and afterlife of structures, this discussion-based course will offer a chance to reflect on the labor that constructs the built environment and the many people who are involved in its production from the very beginning to the very end. Beyond the architect, we will also consider the role of miners and manufacturers, finance capital, labor unions, construction workers, users and renovators, maintenance staff, and those involved in deconstruction and resale. Over the course of the semester, we will come to understand architecture as constructed by many hands, largely outside of the control of the principal architect, and involving many forms of design.
Humanities.
1 credit.
Catalog chapter: Art and Art History: Art History
Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/art

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