Building Nothing: Design After Progress
CHUM 338
Spring 2026
| Section:
01
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| Crosslisting:
ARHA 217, STS 333 |
The built environment is responsible for over 40% of humanity's greenhouse gas emissions, but despite attaching words like "sustainable" and "resilient" to their products, design and construction practices remain fundamentally unchanged. This seminar considers the possibility of a design philosophy that doesn't take the goal of creation as a given. Topics include the lifespan of buildings and products, their maintenance and care, the unintended consequences of making, relationships with and obligations to materials and resources, and strategies for degrowth found in indigenous and vernacular design precedents. We read and discuss a key text each week that examines the history of technology and critically evaluates shifting theoretical perspectives on nature and human development as they relate to design. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA CHUM |
| Course Format: Seminar | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (Art History Minor)(Art History) |
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Past Enrollment Probability: Not Available |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
David Wallace-Wells, THE UNINHABITABLE EARTH; Charlotte Malterre-Barthes, A MORATORIUM ON NEW CONSTRUCTION; Donna Haraway A CYBORG MANIFESTO; Elisa Iturbe, OVERCOMING CARBON FORM; Tim Jackson, PROSPERITY WITHOUT GROWTH; Bruno Latour, WE HAVE NEVER BEEN MODERN; David Gissen, SUBNATURE; Tim Ingold, MAKING; Vine Deloria Jr, GOD IS RED; Caitlin DeSilvey, CURATED DECAY; Arturo Escobar, DESIGNS FOR THE PLURIVERSE
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Examinations and Assignments:
Each student will be expected to present on one week¿s reading and to develop a research proposal into a final paper that centers on an unbuilt design. |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
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| Instructor(s): Nakarado,Christian Hart Times: ..T.... 01:20PM-04:10PM; Location: TBA |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 15 | | SR major: 0 | JR major: 0 | | |
| Seats Available: 15 | GRAD: X | SR non-major: 6 | JR non-major: 6 | SO: 3 | FR: 0 |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 0 | 1st Ranked: 0 | 2nd Ranked: 0 | 3rd Ranked: 0 | 4th Ranked: 0 | Unranked: 0 |
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