American
Suburbia: In this seminar, we will consider whether suburbia's
reputation is deserved as we explore the people, the environment, and
the values associated with American suburbs, particularly in the post-WWII
era. We'll pose questions about the meanings
and the social, political, economic, racial and gender implications of
suburbia and consider why, given the stringent criticisms
of suburban life, so many Americans continue to strive to live there. Over
the course of the semester, we will analyse the
evolv ing patterns of postwar suburban life from a variety of
perspectives: history, literature, film, journalism, sociology,
architecture, and material culture.
Course Syllabus: Education works best when a clear understanding is
established between instructor and student. Since students need to know
what is required of them in order to complete a course satisfactorily,
instructors should provide each student with a course syllabus. Items
are suggested for inclusion in the syllabus.
Introduction
to the History, Theory and Design of Structural Systems (University of
Oregon): The course consists of lectures and smaller lab sessions. It
is designed to develop the basic analytic tools that are needed to
understand, and model, the forces acting upon and within simple structural
elements. The behavior of these elements will be extended to gain an
insight into the behavior of larger, more complex structural systems. The
interaction between structure and space is emphasized throughout the
course with visual images included as often as practicle. Daily
homework, weekly quizzes, a final exam and building case studies are to be
anticipated.
Seminar on
Regional and Global Integration:
This course is designed as an introduction and review of the major questions
and analytical approaches concerning the political economy of integration
within and between rich and poor regions on a global scale. Asymmetrical
interdependence between Mexico and the U.S. will be analyzed in historical
and comparative perspective with the processes of regional integration in
Europe and Asia. The course will also focus on the potential impact on the
future of the world economy of alternative paths of integration within and
between these three major regions.
Town
Planning in Post-Suburban America:
The aim of this project is to use the emerging edge city of Owings Mills
in Baltimore County, MD as the focus of a study of urban design in the
suburban context, and in particular, the reconsideration of the urban form
of the edge city. Edge cities are the latest evolution of the dispersal
and decentralization of American urban form into multiple centers of
retail, office and residential developments centered on highway
interchanges surrounding an older central city. Perhaps the best example
of the edge city in the Virginia area is Tyson's Corner, outside of
Washington, D.C.
Digital
Communities: Urban Planning and Design in Cyberspace:This seminar
examines recent developments in telecommunications and information
systems, the resulting creation of virtual communities, and the social and
cultural issues raised by these changes. There will be a strong emphasis
on participatory discussion by all students.
The
World Lecture Hall: This page of UT Austin Web Central contains
links to pages created by faculty worldwide who are using the Web to
deliver class materials. For example, you will find course syllabi,
assignments, lecture notes, exams, class calendars, multimedia
textbooks,etc.
