ARTH 063. Architecture and American Landscape

In his essay, "Preserving Wildness," environmentalist Wendell Berry wrote: "We need to understand [nature] as our source and preserver, as an essential measure of our history, and as the ultimate definer of our possibilities." With Berry's multidimensional conception of nature in mind, this course examines the interrelationship of architecture, planning, and the ever-changing American landscape. It looks at the ways in which architecture may respond to the political, social, and philosophical implications of diverse ecological perspectives and uncovers the part architecture plays in environmental preservation and degradation. The class takes as its starting point colonial settlements and Native American land use patterns in the Eastern United States and concludes with national responses to 21st-century climate change discourse, paying particular attention to fluctuating conceptions of wildness and nature over time and to the wider socio-cultural implications of these attitudes.
Humanities.
1 credit.
Eligible for ENVS
Catalog chapter: Art and Art History: Art History
Department website: https://www.swarthmore.edu/art-and-art-history

Access the class schedule to search for sections.

Close Window