The aesthetics of the western city, 1965 to the present (P02298)

? Credit Points : 20 ? SCQF Level : 11 ? Acronym : ACE-P-P02298

A survey course tracing the changing representation of the city and city life in western architectural discourse from c.1965 to the present day. The starting point is the attack on modernist urban aesthetics in the work of
Robert Venturi and his contemporaries in the United States. The key ideas surveyed include conservation and preservation, postmodern urbanism, the so-called New Urbanism, concepts of'non-place', the spectacular city, the museum in the city, and there-emergence of the highrise as a representative urban form. There is also discussion about the changing representation of the city in the visual arts during the period. The emphasis is on debates and practice in western Europe and the United States.

? Keywords : aesthetics, city, urbanism, western

Entry Requirements

none

Subject Areas

Home subject area

History of Art, (School of Arts, Culture and Environment, Schedule A)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : Postgraduate

? Delivery Period : Not being delivered

? Contact Teaching Time : 2 hour(s) per week for 11 weeks

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

Students will gain a thorough understanding of contemporary public and professional debates about cities an their representation in architectural discourse. They will become skilled at decoding those debates. They will develop a high level of skill in decoding visual images of cities produced by architects and other professionals in the built environment, as well as relevant images in other fields of the visual arts. They will gain a deep knowledge of contemporary practice in and around Edinburgh. They will develop appropriate research and writing skills, and will learn to make use of local archives and research resources.