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Historic Preservation Home > Syllabi > 100 Level Courses > HISP 101-02 The American Heritage
UNIVERSITY OF MARY WASHINGTON

DEPARTMENT OF HISTORIC PRESERVATION
HISP 101-02 THE AMERICAN HERITAGE

Dr. Kerri Barile
Fall 2009

Office: Combs 139
Thursday, 6:00-8-45pm

This course introduces the study of historic preservation. You will learn to use the analytical tools of architectural history, social history, and archaeology to interpret American sites, structures, buildings, objects, and districts. Through readings, discussions, lectures, and visual presentations of historic resources, this course will help you understand the history, development, and context of the American heritage.

Course Objectives:

1. To foster a knowledge of two main sub-fields of historic preservation: archaeology and architecture
(architectural materials and history).
2. To provide a working familiarity with material culture and the built environment in relation to appropriate
historic contexts.
3. To establish a basis for future studies in historic preservation.

TEXTS

The following books are required and are available in the college bookstore:

Egloff, Keith, and Deborah Woodward
1994 First People: The Early Indians of Virginia. The University of Virginia Press,
Charlottesville.

McAlester, Virginia, and Lee McAlester
1994 A Field Guide to American Houses. Alfred A. Knopf, New York.

The following book is optional and also available in the college bookstore:

Phillips, Steven J.
1992 Old House Dictionary. Wiley and Sons, New York.

Readings not from these sources will be available via Blackboard or email at least two weeks prior to schedule date.

TESTS

Students are responsible for all required readings, handouts, lecture materials, and class activities. There will be two tests: Test I on Thursday, September 24; and Test II on Thursday, October 29. Test format includes multiple choice, short answer, and fill-in-the-blank questions based on terms, concepts, images, and events from class lectures and required readings. The final examination is Tuesday, December 8, 7:00-9:30pm.

OUT-OF-CLASS ASSIGNMENTS

There are two class assignments.

Assignment #1

The first class assignment will require you to identify the ancient classical orders used for several buildings on the University of Mary Washington campus. The assignment will be handed out in class on September 24, and the project is due on Thursday, October 1.

Assignment #2

In order to become more proficient in the recognition and description of architectural details, you will be asked to describe the primary elevation of a historic building. You will each be assigned a building in Fredericksburg and will write a 2–3 page paper using correct terminology to describe the parts, materials, and workmanship of the elevation. Having described the building form and details, you will identify the probable style of the building and support the stylistic conclusion using evidence found on the principal elevation. The paper must be typed and double spaced. Cite sources using the American Antiquity style. Detailed project guidelines and information on the citation style will be given in class on October 22. The project is due Thursday, November 12.

GRADING

Letter and numeric grading is based on the following ranges: A= 94-100; A-= 90-93; B+= 87-89; B= 83-86; B-= 80-82; C+= 77-79; C= 73-76; C-= 70-72; D+= 67-69; D= 60-66; F= < 60.

No passing grade can be achieved in this course without completion of all tests, assignments, and the final examination.

Your final grade will be calculated from the following percentages: Test I= 20%; Test II= 20%; Classical Orders Assignment= 10%; Architectural Description= 20%; Final Examination= 30%. Assignments will be marked down by a letter grade (10%) for each day later than the beginning of class on the due date.

ATTENDANCE

There is no formal attendance policy for this course. I highly recommend regular attendance, however, as a large percentage of exam and assignment material will come directly from weekly lectures, group discussions, and in-class visuals.

OFFICE INFORMATION

Office Location: Combs 125; Cell Phone: 540-623-5106; Email: kbarile@umw.edu; Office Hours: Thursdays, 4:00 to 5:30pm and by appointment. I communicate best by e-mail, but I strongly encourage students to talk with me about any matters (questions, comments, problems) related to the class. Please include your phone number and email address in your communications so that I can contact you directly.

CLASS SCHEDULE AND READING ASSIGNMENTS

August 27: Historic Preservation & America’s Material Heritage

Archaeology: Native American Cultural Heritage and American Historic Materiality

September 3: Introduction to Archaeology and Native American Cultural History

Early Hunters (Paleo-Indian Period, 9500–8000 BC; Early Archaic, 8000–6000 BC)
Dispersed Foragers (Middle Archaic, 6000–2500 BC)
Sedentary Foragers (Late Archaic, 2500–1200 BC)
Reading: Egloff and Woodward, pages 1–25; In-Class Film: Lost in Time

September 10: Native American Cultural History, part II

Introduction of Pottery (Early Woodland, 1200–500 BC; Middle Woodland, 500 BC–AD 900)
The Spread of Agriculture (Late Woodland, AD 900–1600)
Virginia Indian Culture, seventeenth century to the present
The Built Environment of Native Americans
Readings: Egloff and Woodward, pages 26–63; Nabokov and Easton, pages 11–51

September 17: Historical Archaeology and the American Landscape

What is Historical Archaeology?
Town Planning
Domestic Landscapes
Readings: Orser and Fagan, pages 1–22; Miller, pages 72–83

Introduction to Architectural Terms: Building a Basic Vocabulary

September 24: Test I; Second Half of Class: Identifying Architectural Forms and Materials

The Classical Orders, the Arch, the Dome, and the Obelisk
Basic Forms and Building Materials
Readings: Mark, pages 2–14; McAlester, pages 5–31
Assignment #1 Distributed

October 1: Building Technology

The Elements of a Building: Roofs, Chimneys, Porches, Stairs, Doors & Windows.
Reading Early Virginia Architecture
Reading: McAlester, pages 32–61; In-Class Film: Search for a Century
Assignment #1 Due

American Cultural Heritage After European Contact

October 8: European Cultures in the New World

New England Colonial; Southern Colonial; Spanish Colonial; French Colonial; Dutch Colonial;
Georgian; Federal; Classical Revival
Reading: McAlester, pages 63, 74–175

October 15: Into the Nineteenth Century and the Antebellum Years

Greek Revival; Egyptian Revival; Gothic Revival; Italianate
African-American Architecture and the Landscape of Slavery
Readings: McAlester, pages 178–233; Vlach , pages 118–129;
In-Class Film: Black Slaves, White Rice

October 22: The Industrial Revolution and the Picturesque Movement

Octagon; Second Empire; Chateauesque; Richardsonian Romanesque; Stick; Queen Anne;
Shingle
Readings: McAlester, pages 235–307 and 373–377
Assignment #2 Distributed

October 29: Test II; Second Half of Class: The World’s Fair and American Architecture

History of the World’s Fair
The World’s Fair and American Cultural Memory

American Cultural Heritage in the Era of Modernity

November 5: Reviving Classicism and a Return to Nature

Beaux-Arts; Neoclassical; Colonial Revival; Mission; Pueblo; Tudor Revival; Chicago School
Bungalows; Prairie; Introduction to Vernacular Architecture
Readings: McAlester, pages 308–371 and 379–385 and 408–463

November 12: Modernism and the Influence of the Automobile

Art Deco; Art Moderne; International
American Roadside Architecture
Readings: McAlester, pages 464–473
Assignment #2 Due

November 19: American Architecture after World War II

Modern Architecture
The Changing Design of the American Neighborhood
American Architecture Today
Readings: Hayden, pages 7–16; McAlester, pages 476–499

November 26: No Class, Thanksgiving Break

December 3: The History of Place
Review for the Final Exam

December 8: Final Examination (7:00 to 9:45pm)