How do photographs shape perceptions of what cities are, have been, and should be? This seminar will survey the intersecting social and cultural histories of photography and the urban and suburban built environment. We will consider the ways in which photographs – through their creation, dissemination, and reappropriation – have influenced cities across time. In the planning and design fields, in particular, images have helped to celebrate, document, critique, and reform. Throughout the course, we will consider the photograph as both of a reflection of the city and an agent of its transformation. Students from all departments are welcome.
This seminar concentrates on a selected topic in the social and cultural history of the built environment. Past themes have included photography and the American city and the relationship between cities and sound.
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