04 November 2009

Cool Class: Landscape Studies 101

11:550:101 Landscape Studies

This broad-ranging course is an introduction to the role of the landscape as a representation of how society views the natural world. The term landscape refers to many examples, including parks, industrial parks, sculpture parks, cities, suburbs, exurbs, farms, rural areas and the humanized wilderness. Through reading, lectures, and field trips, the student will learn how the landscape reflects our changing political, social, artistic, ecological and environmental values. The discussion and experiential observation of various landscapes, and their affects on people and society, is intended to develop a framework to think critically, constructively, and creatively about the physical environment and to develop a vocabulary to explore, analyze and discuss landscape issues.

The course format is one 3-hour meeting a week, to allow for some field trips during class time.

Course requirements include weekly readings plus a one-page critical essay about the readings, posted to a class website, followed by critical questioning and discussion. Each student will be required to participate in five or six field trips. Grades will be based on class and discussion
participation, weekly writing assignments, and one test.

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