Course Syllabus

JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "AH 181"
COURSE NAME: "Politics and Power in Roman Architecture - Augustus to Mussolini (On-site: activity fee €25 or $33) (N.B. On-campus sessions for this class will be held 8:30-11:15)"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Fall Semester 2012

SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Foster Laura
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS: T 9:15-12:00
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES: On-site; activity fee: €25 or $33
OFFICE HOURS: Wednesdays 1:00-2:00 or by appointment

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course will provide you with a general knowledge of the topography, urban makeup and architectural history of Rome. It will also introduce different methodological tools needed to examine city form, design and architecture.

•   how to “read” architecture: identifying building materials & methods; elements of style & structure
•   how to interpret urban space: learning and applying the vocabulary associated with architecture and urban planning
•   how to express and formulate your ideas about architecture
•   how to develop and substantiate arguments about architecture and the history of the city through research and writing

SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:
From the foundation of the Roman Republic, through its expansion as an empire, to the rise of the papacy as a religious as well as secular authority, to the emergence of a unified Italy as a modern nation-state, Rome has served as a showcase of political power through architecture and urban form. This survey course will examine many of the city’s most significant architectural and urban sites, moving roughly in chronological order. We will discuss how individual monuments take on symbolic importance in later periods, how they serve as models of architectural style, and how the sites take on a “sacred” quality outside of a religious context. Students will become particularly familiar with a single neighborhood through a project that explores its historical development.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
•a general knowledge of Rome’s history and urban development
•a familiarity with period styles in architecture
•the ability to discuss works of architecture and urban spaces in terms of their formal and contextual qualities
•an understanding of the different methodological tools used to examine architecture and
urbanism through readings and class discussion

TEXTBOOK:

NONE

REQUIRED RESERVED READING:

Book Title	Author	Publisher	ISBN number	Library Call Number	Comments
Rome. Oxford Archeological Guide	Amanda Claridge	Oxford	9780199546831
Rome: Profile of a City, 312-1308	Richard Krautheimer	Princeton University Press	069100319X

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:

NONE

GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:

Assignment	Guidelines	Weight
Class Attendance and Participation	Please refer to the university catalogue for the attendance and absence policy.  Regular attendance and punctuality are mandatory in order to earn full marks.  The final grade will take into consideration preparation required for class and participation in class discussions.  The grade for class participation will be valued on a 100-point scale, with 100 representing perfect attendance and excellent class participation.	10
Site Journal	This assignment is a diary based on lecture notes and your observations of the monuments we visit for each week until the midterm examination.  It will provide you with opportunities to employ architectural terminology in discussing buildings and urban spaces.  For example, as a group we will analyze a building according to its stylistic and material properties while on site; the notes from this exercise will then be written up as part of the diary.  The purpose of this diary is to aid in note taking and observation of the city in preparation for final paper assignment, as well as exams.	20
Midterm Examination	The midterm examination will be composed of <br />     •Slide identifications:  identify name of building or space, the architect and the date <br />     constructed provided on your key monuments lists.  A short question requiring only a one to <br />     two-word answer will also be asked. <br />     •Short answer questions regarding historical and stylistic terminology, building materials, and <br />     patronage.<br />     •Essay:  You will have a choice of two essay topics that treat general themes discussed in the    first half of the course.  You will need to provide specific examples taken from works     discussed in class.	20
Final Paper -- Rione Project	Rome’s historical districts are known as the rioni:  in the Middle Ages and Renaissance, they served as distinct political units in civic representation (today, these districts are called the circoscrizioni).  By the 18th century, however, the rioni became a convenient way to organize a description of Rome in guidebooks, suggesting an itinerary for travellers.   For this paper, we will use the rioni as a means to explore the architectural development of the city.  Each student will be assigned a rione on which he/she will become the class expert.  The final paper should be approximately 10-15 pages, including illustrations of the neighborhood and specific monuments.  Detailed instructions will be provided later in the course.  See the course outline for deadlines.<br /> Late policy: For every day an assignment late (weekends included) 5% will be taken from the total possible grade.  For example, a project is handed in two days late.  The paper is worth 100 points. As a result of lateness, your best possible grade would be a 90.  Extensions must be approved before assigned deadline: no exceptions. Late papers are to be handed in to the Faculty Support Office at JCU.	30
Final Examination	The format for the final exam will be the same as the midterm, with slide identifications and short answer questions covering only material since the midterm.  The essay questions will be on topics taken from themes discussed in the entire course.	20

-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
NUMERICAL BREAKDOWN OF GRADES
A = 100 - 93
A- = 92 - 90
B+ = 89 - 87
B = 86 - 83
B- = 82 - 80
C+ = 79 - 77
C = 76 - 73
C- = 72 - 70
D = 69 - 60
F = 59 - 0

-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:
Attendance at each site lecture is mandatory and essential for preparation for examinations and papers. Please refer to the section above regarding attendance and participation.

ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred. In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment, may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation to the President, who will make the final decision.

STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap. Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.

SCHEDULE

Session	Session Focus	Reading Assignment	Other Assignment	Meeting Place/Exam Dates
Sept 4. Course Introduction	Semester overview and brief site walk	None	None
Sept 11	Ancient Rome I: The City as “Capital of the World”	John E. Stambaugh, The Ancient Roman City, Ch. 4 (pp. 48-66) and Ch. 7 (pp.101-22). On Permanent Reserve in the library, HT114 .S7
Sept 18	Ancient Rome II: Articulating Power in the Imperial Period	John E. Stambaugh, The Ancient Roman City, Ch. 5 (pp. 67-85) and Ch. 13 (pp. 213-224). On Permanent Reserve in the library, HT114 .S7
Sept 25	Ancient Rome III/Early Christianity: The Lateran and Surrounding Area	Richard Krautheimer, Rome: Profile of a City, 312-1308, Chs. 1 (pp. 3-31). On Permanent Reserves in the library, DG811 .K7
Oct 2	Medieval Era I: Miracles, Martyrs and the Language of Christian Architecture	Richard Krautheimer, Rome: Profile of a City, 312-1308, Ch. 2 (pp. 33-58) and Ch. 5 (pp. 109-142). On Permanent Reserves in the library, DG811 .K7
Oct 9	Medieval Era II: Trastevere and the Formation of an Urban Vernacular	Richard Krautheimer, Rome: Profile of a City, 312-1308, Chs. 12 &13. On Permanent Reserves in the library, DG811 .K7; Deborah Robbins, “Via della Lungaretta: The Making of a Medieval Street,” in Streets: Critical Perspectives on Public Space, pp. 165-176. On Permanent Reserves at the library, NA9053.S7S82
Oct 16	Midterm Examination	None	Site Journal Due In Class	Oct 16
Oct 23	Renaissance I: Restoring Rome in the 15th and 16th Centuries	James Ackerman, The Architecture of Michelangelo, Ch. 7 (pp. 171-192). On permanent reserves in the library, NA1123.B9A63; Christoph Frommel, The Architecture of the Italian Renaissance, pp. 95-97 (Palazzo della Cancelleria) and pp. 136-138 (Palazzo Farnese). On reserve for our class, NA1115.F757	Assignment of Rione Projects in class
Oct 30	Renaissance II: St. Peter’s and the Borgo	1) George L. Hersey, High Renaissance Art in St. Peter’s and the Vatican: An Interpretive Guide, pp. 65-96. On Permanent Reserves in the library, N6920.H45
Nov 6	Renaissance III: Urban Planning and Urban Surveillance	James Ackerman, The Architecture of Michelangelo, Ch. 6 (pp. 139-174). On permanent reserves in the library, NA1123.B9A63; Charles Burroughs, “Absolutism and the Rhetoric of Topography: Streets in the Rome of Sixtus V,” in Streets: Critical Perspectives on Urban Space, pp. 189-202. On Permanent Reserves at the library, NA9053.S7S82
Nov 13	Baroque I: Competition and Notoriety Among Architects and Their Patrons	Vernon Hyde Minor, Baroque & Rococo, pp. 75-93 (“The Baroque Church”). On reserve for class, N6410 .M56; Patricia Waddy, Seventeenth-Century Roman Palaces: Use and Art of the Plan, pp. 3-13. On reserve for class, DG797.9.W33.
Nov 20	Baroque II: Narrative in Facades and in Public Spaces	Richard Krautheimer, The Rome of Alexander VII, pp. 37-73. On Permanent Reserves in the library, NA9204.R7K7
Nov 27	Via del Corso from the Baroque to Italian Unification, 17th- 20th centuries	1) Richard Krautheimer, The Rome of Alexander VII, pp. 114-125. On Permanent Reserves in the library, NA9204.R7K7 2) Terry Kirk, The Architecture of Modern Italy, Vol. 1, pp. 222-259. On reserve for our class in library, NA1114 .K574 Vol 1. 3) Kirk, The Architecture of Modern Italy, Vol. 2, pp. 15-26. On reserve for our class in library, NA1114 .K574 Vol 2.
Dec 4	The Form of a New Empire under Fascism and Lessons for Architecture in Contemporary Rome	1) Terry Kirk, The Architecture of Modern Italy, Vol. 2, pp. 120-132. On reserve for our class in the library, NA1114 .K574 Vol 2.	FINAL RIONE PROJECT DUE IN CLASS