Historical Ground

The seminar explores the role of historical information and knowledge in making places today, but also how contemporary designers may “invent” history that nonetheless seems apt or convincing for that site.

The seminar will take up the weekly themes, outlined below. For each week there are required readings that students must read and use in the discussions that follow initial presentations of material. These readings are listed below under each week, along with further supplementary readings that students may also explore if they wish. The required readings will be posted on the course folder.

Discussion is key to all seminars and the final grade will take student’s contributions to our dialogues into account. There will be a short paper due by mid-way through the semester and a final paper. The short paper will select a site NOT discussed (or not discussed substantially) during seminars and discuss the scope – or not – of its ‘historical ground’. The final project will be researched during the second half of the semester and presented in the final classes, before being reworked (if appropriate) and submitted as a final paper/project. Professor Hunt will meet individually during October with individual students to focus on their possible topics and in that week, the seminar meeting will be replaced by these tutorials.