PITTED AGAINST THE WILDERNESS: LITERACY AND URBANISM IN CHICAGO ARCH 474/574 and LA 336/438 Graduate Studio, Spring 2023 MW 12-4:50PM University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Chicago Studio (333 S Desplaines St., Chicago IL)
OVERVIEW
Chicago’s literary and urban histories are deeply intertwined. Architecture and landscape figure prominently in 20th-century stories about the city, and literary descriptions in turn imbue the built environment with cultural meaning. Reading from works of Chicago-based history, fiction, and poetry, we will gain a profound understanding of the city’s development as a spatial and cultural hub for the region. We will translate written works into experimental visualizations and 3D models, challenging the definition of “literacy” as a phenomenon rooted in words.
With these conceptual materials as inspiration, students will develop designs for a new literacy center in Chicago. The center might take the form of a building, or a landscape, or both; it may also become a new spatial and programmatic type yet unseen in the city. We will engage with Chicago’s extensive literacy networks and academic organizations to provide context for the design process. The proposals will ultimately address Chicago’s urban history, its unique literature, and new possibilities for cultural, social, and technological literacy in the 21st century.
SYLLABUS AND COURSE CALENDAR PDF
