Talking Architecture: Discussing the Verbal Culture of Design
Before the sketch, after occupancy, talk precedes and follows architecture. More than drawings or models, schedules or briefs, this course posits that, of the variety of forms and formats that it takes, the true lingua franca of design is to speak about it.
Part historical examination (lectures), part theoretical reflection (seminar), part practicum workshop), this course will construct a conversation around what verbalization does in different stages of architectural realization: brainstorming, desk crits, presentations, reviews, and lectures. To model the topic (both to construct its meaning, and to embody its practice) the course will draw together a diverse range of material and efforts: classical rhetoric, jury game footage, architectural history, cognitive psychology, improv games, oral histories, and interviews, debate club drills, and other forms of jibber jabber. Participants will each contribute to the class through in-class discussion and exercises, presentations on assigned topics (see above), and a final oral report. This course is open to all students enrolled at the Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning; there are no prerequisites, though it should be considered participation intensive (you will be expected to talk a lot).
