3 credits
Spring 2026 Lecture Upper DivisionDepartmental CreditHumanities
Contemporary humans spend most of our time directly engaging with architecture; it is the context in which we live our lives. This course introduces the demands ('tasks') and methods ('tools') inherent to the practice of architectural design. In other words, the problems architects address through design and the ways in which they do so. These two sets of topics are presented in tandem through historical and contemporary examples, along with selected case studies and readings. Success in the course will provide a foundation for richly experiencing, critically assessing, and productively engaging the development of our built environment.
Learning Outcomes1Identify features exhibiting distinct qualities (historical, cultural, technical, etc.) in built examples.
2Explain how an architectural design may have developed as it did.
3Demonstrate how ideas from one source can be applied to the analysis of another.
4Distinguish how a case study example exhibits specific traits.
Restrictions
made by Purdue students.