Building Houses, Building Identities: Architecture in the Atlantic World, from Africa to America
ARHA 294
Spring 2008 not offered
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| Crosslisting:
AFAM 296 |
| Course Cluster: African Studies |
African architecture, from houses to monumental mosques, reflects cultural interaction and identities. From 1550 to 1850 12 million Africans were forcibly transported from their homes to the Americas. They brought with them cultural knowledge and technological expertise. That knowledge transformed the landscape, from Brazil to New Orleans to Virginia. Historians are only now beginning to understand that the Atlantic basin can best be understood as a cultural unit. From Senegal to Brazil, African architecture created a new, hybrid style. This course studies the buildings of the Atlantic basin. From the great mosques of medieval West Africa to the plantation houses of Brazil and the American South, African builders introduced concepts and forms that included the verandah, the enclosed porch or gallery, and probably, too, the shotgun house of New Orleans. This course looks first at African art and architecture, then at the spread of African technology to the New World. |
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Essential Capabilities:
None |
| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA ART |
| Course Format: Lecture | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (AFAM-MN)(AFAM)(ARHA-MN)(ARHA)(ARST) |
Major Readings:
Mark, "'Portuguese' Houses and Luso-African Identity in Precolonial Senegambia"
Prussin, L., HATUMERE: ISLAMIC DESIGN IN AFRICA Bourgeios, SPECTACULAR VERNACULAR
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Examinations and Assignments:
Midterm exam, 10-page research paper, final exam. |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
Interested students should email Professor Mark at pmark@wesleyan.edu
One field trip to New York on a weekend is required. Fee of $25 for required class trip. |
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