Architecture and Empire in Britain and the British Colonial World 1783 - 1947 (U03485)

? Credit Points : 20 ? SCQF Level : 10 ? Acronym : ACE-3-U03485

During the nineteenth century Britain amassed the largest territorial empire the world had ever seen. With this expansion came the export of architecture and urban planning, the visual and spatial consequences of which were profound and unprecedented. This course considers the relationship between architecture and empire during this period, from the American Revolution and the loss of the thirteen colonies, to the partition of India and the demise of the imperial dream. It will examine the formal, spatial, social, and political characteristics of buildings in the context of Britain's ambition to control ever greater swathes of the earth's surface economically and culturally. Examples, both secular and religious, will be drawn from across the British colonial world - from England, Scotland, and Ireland to Canada, the Caribbean, India, South East Asia, Africa, and Australasia. These examples will be discussed in their historical context and analysed for what they reveal about notions (and anxieties) regarding modern British identity, imperialism, and nationhood.

? Keywords : empire, imperialism, architecture, identity, nationalism, colonial, Britain

Entry Requirements

? Pre-requisites : AH2A & 2B; or Honours entry to History of Art or its combined degrees; or Honours entry to BMus (Music) or by agreement of the Head of Subject Area

Subject Areas

Home subject area

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

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : 3rd year

? Delivery Period : Not being delivered

? Contact Teaching Time : 2 hour(s) 40 minutes per week for 11 weeks

All of the following classes

Type	Day	Start	End	Area
Lecture	Monday	11:10	13:00	Central
Lecture	Thursday	11:10	13:00	Central

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

On completion of the course students should be able to demonstrate a full understanding of:

• the history and cultural significance of architecture in Britain’s
colonies
• the social, religious, and political uses and manipulation of
architectural and urban space in colonial contexts
• the relationship between the motives and practices of British
imperial/colonial culture and the built environment
• the different ways in which empire affected architecture and urban
space in Britain