To all Design-L readers:
I am preparing a new course for first year Australian architecture students
entitled "Japanese Architecture and Landscapes". The subject description is
as follows:
"An applied, interdisciplinary history of Japanese architecture and
landscapes. It explores the traditions of Japanese architecture and
landscapes with an eye to their contemporary resonances, both within and
outside Japan. The traditions of religious architecture, domestic
architecture, urban form, and the Japanese garden are examined with the aid
of readings from aesthetics, sociological, semiotic, and other
perspectives. Particular attention is given to the cultural dilemmas and
opportunities arising from Japan's rapid modernization, and how these have
been handled by recent generations of Japanese architects. The implications
of the Japanese experience for other Asian countries currently experiencing
rapid economic growth are explored, in particular the question of the
relationship between modernization and 'westernisation'."
The assessment involves both creative/visual and analytic/verbal
components. The internet will be used as a tool to facilitate research and
discussion. I am also developing an index of web-sites that have relevance
to this subject. I would like to hear from others who can share
info/sites/references relevent to this subject. I am especially keen to
make contact with other academics who are teaching or have taught in this
area.
Julian Worrall
Department of Architecture
University of Adelaide
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
I am preparing a new course for first year Australian architecture students
entitled "Japanese Architecture and Landscapes". The subject description is
as follows:
"An applied, interdisciplinary history of Japanese architecture and
landscapes. It explores the traditions of Japanese architecture and
landscapes with an eye to their contemporary resonances, both within and
outside Japan. The traditions of religious architecture, domestic
architecture, urban form, and the Japanese garden are examined with the aid
of readings from aesthetics, sociological, semiotic, and other
perspectives. Particular attention is given to the cultural dilemmas and
opportunities arising from Japan's rapid modernization, and how these have
been handled by recent generations of Japanese architects. The implications
of the Japanese experience for other Asian countries currently experiencing
rapid economic growth are explored, in particular the question of the
relationship between modernization and 'westernisation'."
The assessment involves both creative/visual and analytic/verbal
components. The internet will be used as a tool to facilitate research and
discussion. I am also developing an index of web-sites that have relevance
to this subject. I would like to hear from others who can share
info/sites/references relevent to this subject. I am especially keen to
make contact with other academics who are teaching or have taught in this
area.
Julian Worrall
Department of Architecture
University of Adelaide
SOUTH AUSTRALIA