Course Descriptions
Architectural Studies
Spring 2008
Architectural Studies majors are required to take 4 core courses (History of Architectural Theory, Architectural Studies Seminar, Architectural Studies Internship, and Portfolio), 4 visual skills courses (Foundation Design, Foundation Drawing, Foundation Sculpture, and Perspective Drawing) and 4 HAA courses (Introduction to Western Architecture and 3 other additional HAA courses, of which 2 must be at the 1000 level). Students persuing graduate school are recommended to take core math and physcis courses as well.
- HAA Courses
- Studio Arts Courses
- Math and Physics Courses (if persuing graduate school)
HAA 0040 Introduction to Western Architecture
This course introduces students to the art of architecture from the ancient world until today, emphasizing the western tradition. The course works both chronologically as a history of phases and styles, and methodologically, examining the contextual issues that give each period a distinctive architecture. Students who take this course will learn to understand and make critical judgments on buildings and be ready for more specialized studies in the history of architecture.
HAA 1040 History of Architecture Theory
History of Architectural Theory is an upper level reading course that is required for all students wishing to graduate from the University of Pittsburgh with a major in Architectural Studies. The objective of the course is to acquaint students with many forms of architectural writing, to examine the emergence and development of core ideas in the Western architectural tradition, and to examine the relationship between architectural ideas and the cultural, political and social contexts in which they were articulated. Texts examined in the course will include classic works on architecture, urbanism and aesthetics, and novels in which architecture is a dominant theme. Drawings, engravings, photography and illustrations will be considered as important components of architectural theory; the format and composition of architectural books will be considered as integral to the ideas they contain. Texts from antiquity to the present will be examined, including the writings of Vitruvius, Perrault, Laugier, Boullee, Pugin, Ruskin, Viollet-le-Duc, Le Corbusier, Frank Lloyd Wright, Ayn Rand, Jane Jacobs and Robert Venturi.
HAA 1160 Roman Architecture
The course will examine the development of Roman architecture from its origins in Etruria and Central Italy to the High Empire (ca. 150 AD). Special attention will be given to 1) the relationship of architectural forms, types and functions to changes in Roman politics and society, 2) the significance of materials and outside influences for the development of local Italian traditions and forms, and 3) the problems of interpreting the development of an ancient building tradition, when the monuments themselves are so fragmentarily preserved.
HAA 1531 Modern American Architecture
By the time the Civil War ended in 1865, traditional American architectural values had broken down under a barrage of ornament and imported European styles. Something new had to take shape to express the new wealth of post-Civil War America and the new social order that went with it. The next 135 years would see a succession of brilliant architects in Furness, Richardson, the early skyscraper builders in Chicago, Sullivan, the firm of McKim, Meade and White, Frank Lloyd Wright, Mies, Kahn, Venturi, Moore, Gehry, Predock, Holl, Arquitectonica, and the pluralists of today. At the same time, these successes also masked major problems: spoiling the land; architecture as social welfare; and the concern for national and regional values as expressed in building. These individual successes and collective problems will constitute the underlying theme of the course.
HAA 1880 World Cities
What is a city? The sociologist, the anthropologist, the political scientist, the regional planner, and the geographer all see cities from their different perspectives. But the art historian has an important contribution too: cities have been seen for millennia as works of art. Even cities as seemingly "messy" as Las Vegas or Calcutta have an urban form that the art historian can decipher with special expertise. This course looks at the city, both Western and non-Western, to discover its main patterns of urban form and development. Through lectures and discussions, students derive the basic format by which to analyze these patterns. Pittsburgh itself serves as one of several "test cases" in piecing together that format. (If practicable, students will use camcorders to record their visual impressions of it.) Lectures and readings give students the chronological and typological base from which to sharpen their own analytical skills. The principles derived in the early sessions will be used in the final course segment, in which students work on the form and growth of world cities they have selected to study.
HAA 1900 Architectural Studies Internship
Academic credit is awarded for practical professional experience gained through a directed internship. The internship is arranged by the student through the Architectural Studies Office (104 Frick Fine Arts Building) in consultation with the Academic Advisor or the Director of Architectural Studies. Open to advanced Architectural Studies majors with a QPA of 2.75 or higher. Students must consult with the undergraduate advisor and program director to get approval for the internship.
HAA 1910 Special Topics (Architecture) - Historic Preservation
Introduction to Historic Preservation will explore the goals, methods, and practice of preserving the historic built environment in the United States. History of the preservation movement, tools and tactics for protecting buildings and landscapes, documentation of historical/architectural significance, and more. This course provides students with a broad background in the field of historic preservation and introduces the skills needed to work as a professional in this field.
HAA 1910 Special Topics (Architecture) - CAD Tutorial
An introduction to the graphic communication of architectural documents utilizing computer aided drafting (CAD) techniques. This introductory CAD course is designed to give students a working knowledge of the AutoCAD drafting system. The course has been designed to better acquaint students with concepts, processes and skills required by professionals in the field to create and modify computer-generated drawings. Students will learn the commands and functions necessary to input, process and output two dimensional working drawings in the form of plans, elevations and sections. Three-dimensional visualization will also be covered as a means to explore massing and proportion. In addition to the fundamental design methods and practices for the creation of architectural drawings, exercises will focus on fundamental concepts such as scaling, dimensioning, annotating as well as maintenance of CAD drawing files through the use of operating system commands.
HAA 1913 Architectural Studies Seminar - Contextual Mapping
This studio is concerned with context as a potential driver for architectural proposals and examines the profound interrelationship between architecture and the environment. This studio will introduce concepts that define ways in which architecture can both inform and be informed by the urban fabric into which it is woven. Qualities of site, situation, and cultural context are emphasized, raising issues that may challenge generally accepted and conventional approaches to architectural and urban design. Intensive site research will yield data meant to motivate new elemental constructs, programs, and organizational systems. Design and representation techniques will also be introduced to equip students to better explore the existing and emerging patterns of a new progressive architecture.
HAA 1915 Architectural Studies Portfolio
This course is offered to help Architectural Studies majors prepare a portfolio for purposes of applying to a graduate architecture program or a job. Students work individually and consult with the instructor by appointment. There will be one mandatory informational meeting at the beginning of the term. Contact the instructor for date and time.
HAA 1950 Senior Thesis
This W-course requires the writing of a research paper. The student should discuss a topic with a faculty member and write the paper under that faculty member's supervision. This course is open to History of Art and Architecture majors with an overall QPA of 3.5 and a departmental QPA of 3.5. Successful completion of this course with a A- or higher, and the completion of all requirements for the intensive major will enable the student to graduate with departmental honors.
SA 0110 Foundation Design
This course is a survey of concepts, methods, and issues of Design as a vehicle of visual organization, structure, thought, and expression. The broad scope of the subject is explored through lectures, discussions, critiques, and the process of making images, and objects. Students are introduced to the dynamics of composition, form and content, color systems and theory, aesthetic issues, visual analysis, perception, spatial structure and the value of visual awareness and creativity in an increasingly image-oriented culture. The course also seeks to provide some experience with a variety of media, develop skills in observation and technique, and encourage personal involvement in resolving a visual problem or expressing an idea. Projects focus on specific concepts, preparation and planning, and creative visual thinking. The course offers a relevant introduction and insight into the process of making art. This course is open to art majors and non-art majors. The course requires the purchase of art materials and supplies. There is a $15.00 lab fee.
SA 0130 Foundation Drawing
Foundation Drawing is designed to give both majors and non-majors a comprehensive introduction to the art of drawing. The course approaches drawing as a unique graphic and expressive medium rather than as a preliminary or planning process. The course begins from the point of view that the expressive and interpretative potential of drawing can be achieved at the beginning level when knowledge of drawing media and techniques are fused with personal vision and creativity. Drawing 0130 follows a sequence of studies that introduce students to basic drawing media and compositional elements through observation of natural and manufactured forms. The course culminates with an introduction to the human figure. There is a $15.00 lab fee.
SA 0140 Foundation Sculpture
Foundation-Sculpture is a broadly based course that introduces students to the expressive potential of modeled and constructed form. Throughout the course, students experience a variety of sculpture techniques and materials in projects that study certain characteristics of natural and abstract form. The principle goals of the course are to develop skills and to provide a basis for individual creative development. From this course, students should gain sensitivity in the observation of form, develop analytic and compositional skills and begin to formulate ideas through practical experience. The individual must purchase basic sculpture tools. There is a $20.00 lab fee
SA 1430 Perspective Drawing
This course is designed to provide the student with a working knowledge of the fundamental theories of linear perspective and the role they play in the development of a drawing. The focus is on understanding how these conventions work as an integral part of the drawing process and how to apply them to specific applications. Throughout the term, the class will progress from setting up simple drawings to more complex perspectival compositions. Art materials will be assigned at the beginning of the term. There is a $15 lab fee.
MATH 0220 Analytical Geometry and Calculus 1
This is the first course in the basic calculus sequence and is intended for all mathematics, engineering, science, and statistics students. Math 0220 covers the derivative and integral of functions of a single variable. A lab component in which students apply numeric, algebraic, and graphing technologies to calculus problems is an integral part of the course. For addition information refer to the web page http://calculus.math.pitt.edu. A scientific calculator is required, preferably a graphing calculator. One-letter grade rule applies if there is a common final exam.
MATH 0230 Analytical Geometry and Calculus 2
This is the second course in the basic calculus sequence and is intended for all mathematics, engineering, science, and statistics students. Math 0230 covers symbolic and numerical integration techniques and applications, modeling, differential equations, and Taylor series. A lab component in which students apply numeric, algebraic, and graphing technologies to calculus problems is an integral part of the course. For addition information, refer to the web page http://calculus.math.pitt.edu. A scientific calculator is required, preferably a graphing calculator. One-letter grade rule applies if there is a common final exam.
PHYS 0110 Introduction to Physics 1
This is the first term in a two-term lecture-demonstration sequence that presents the elements of both classical and modern physics. The emphasis of the course is on a clear understanding of the underlying principles rather than on mathematical formalism and problem-solving (although some attention is given to these aspects of physics). This course is appropriate for non-science majors, and for those majoring in the social, psychological and life sciences that do not need the more mathematically oriented course required of engineering and physical science students (Physics 0174,0175). The introductory laboratory course to be associated with this sequence is Physics 0212 (see below) which should be taken after Physics 0110. Credit will not be given for both this sequence and the Physics 0174, 0175 sequence. Subjects covered in the course include: kinematics; Newtonian mechanics; heat and thermodynamics; kinetic theory.
PHYS 0111 Introduction to Physics 2
This is the second term in a two-term lecture-demonstration sequence that presents the elements of both classical and modern physics. The emphasis of the course is on a clear understanding of the underlying principles rather than on mathematical formalism and problem-solving (although some attention is given to these aspects of physics). This course is appropriate for non-science majors, and for those majoring in the social, psychological and life sciences that do not need the more mathematically oriented course required of engineering and physical science students (Physics 0174,0175). The introductory laboratory course to be associated with this sequence is Physics 0212 (see below). Credit will not be given for both this sequence and the Physics 0174, 0175 sequence. Subjects covered in the course include: waves; electricity and magnetism (electrostatics to electromagnetic waves); geometrical and physical optics; relativity; and quantum physics.
PHYS 0174 Basic Physical Science and Engineering 1 (Integrated)
The first term in a two-term introductory lecture-demonstration sequence in physics for science and engineering students. Calculus is used as needed and should be taken at least concurrently. Credit will not be given for both this sequence and the Physics 0110,0111 sequence. Subjects covered in Physics 0174 include: kinematics; Newton's laws of motion; energy; momentum, rotational motion, rigid body motion, angular momentum, simple harmonic motion, gravitation, mechanical waves, sound waves, and the kinetic theory of gases.
PHYS 0175 Basic Physical Science and Engineering 2 (Integrated)
This is the second term in a two-term (0174 and 0175) introductory sequence in physics for science and engineering students. Subjects covered in Physics 0175 include: electrostatics, electric currents, magnetism, induction, simple AC circuits, Maxwell's equations, electromagnetic waves, geometric and wave optics, followed by an introduction to quantum physics, including photons, the Bohr atom and spectra, and elementary wave mechanics. Students planning to major in physics are urged to take the equivalent honors course (Physics 0476).