Course Schedule and Catalog

Long Title: THE IDEA OF HOUSING

Department: Architecture

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: In the 1920's the architectural idea of housing and the philosophical idea of existentialism emerged simultaneously in presumably unrelated intellectual circles. Being and Time was published in 1927, the same year the Weissenhof Settlement opened to the public in Stuttgart. One need only emphasize the fact that Martin Heidegger is precisely the same age as both Le Corbusier and Mies to suggest an exploration of the possible connections between the two seemingly disparate intellectual trends. Whether this shared history represents only a coincidence or the overlap of significant content is an open question. The first part of the seminar will examine this question. The second part will catalogue the institutionalization of these ideas through the 1950s using a series of case studies. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: ARCH 681.