Faculty First Year Seminars 197ARC2 - Architectural Drawings of Utop

This seminar will explore the utopian visionary drawings of artists and architects throughout western history. From the geometric plans of ancient cities to the visionary architectural drawings of the last century, this course will trace the virtual renderings of ?no place? in radical visionary architecture. As common themes and diverse conceptions become evident, we will consider the dissonance between dream and reality, fiction and function, idealism and totalitarianism. How do these pictures reveal the differing social concerns of their time? including economic, aesthetic, technical and environmental? What kind of an impact have these drawings had on contemporary designers, planners and policy makers? The first half of the course will introduce students to a sequential narrative of utopian drawings up until the early 20th Century. In the second half of the semester, students will research their own topic (chosen in consultation with instructor) and present imagery to the class along with discussion points.

Freshmen Only