American Studies 308, Section 1 American Studies Program, Penn State Harrisburg Fall Semester 2015 Days/Times: MWF 10:10-11 am Location: TBD Instructor: Caitlin Black Primary Email:
[email protected] Primary Phone: (717) 948-6020 Office Location and Hours: TBD Course Description This course examines the styles, structures, and concepts of American architecture from Native American roots to modern “green” buildings. Through readings, images, and film, students will learn to identify major architectural styles and will become familiar with important buildings, communities, and movements in American architectural history and material culture. Students will consider the social and political connection of architecture to American experience and ideas. When possible, this course focuses on local examples to illuminate national trends over time. Course Objectives 1. Students will be able to identify key buildings, movements, and figures in American architecture. 2. Students will be able to interpret primary sources (such as maps, photographs, and drawings) used to understand American architecture. 3. Students will learn to understand and use architecture as form of evidence when analyzing themes and events. 4. Students will develop the tools to analyze aspects of American architecture in their social and political contexts and interpret changes over time. Required Texts The following texts are available at the Campus Bookstore. Mark Gelernter, A History of American Architecture (Hanover, NH: University Press of New England, 1999). ISBN: 978-1584651369. Erik Larson, The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America (New York: Crown Publishers, 2003). ISBN: 978-0375725609. (Ebook also available) Daisy M. Myers, Sticks’n Stones: The Myers Family in Levittown (New York: New York Heritage Trust, 2005).