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CS92PROD
Building Houses, Building Identities: Architecture in the Atlantic World, from Africa to America

ARHA 294
Fall 2011 not offered
Crosslisting: AFAM 296
Course Cluster: African Studies, Urban Studies

This course provides an introduction to the history of domestic and religious architecture in West Africa. We will study the buildings that people constructed, as well as the meanings that they constructed with their buildings. We begin with the architectural forms of Morocco. We will focus on Marrakesh, the jumping off point for both trade and the spread of Islam across the Sahara. Next, we will look at West African Islamic architecture. The first case study will be the Friday Mosque in the city of Djenné (Jenne), in Mali, arguably the most important example of monumental architecture in West Africa. From 1550 to 1850, 12 million Africans were forcibly transported to the Americas. They brought with them technological expertise that transformed the built environment from Brazil to New Orleans. From Senegal to Brazil, African architecture created a new, hybrid style. This course then studies the buildings of the Atlantic world.

Essential Capabilities: Interpretation
We will study architecture from West and North Africa. For most of us, this constitutes studying cultures other than our own.
Credit: 1 Gen Ed Area Dept: HA ART
Course Format: LectureGrading Mode: Graded
Level: UGRD Prerequisites: None
Fulfills a Requirement for: (AFAM-MN)(AFAM)(ARHA-MN)(ARHA)(ARST)

Last Updated on DEC-12-2024
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