University Studies 3
Freshman Seminar

The Architecture and Landscape of UC Irvine: A Critical Exploration

Tuesdays 2:00—2:50
PSCB 240 (or otherwise as noted)

Jesse Colin Jackson
Assistant Professor
Department of Art
Claire Trevor School of the Arts

j.c.jackson@uci.edu
(949) 536-6515
Office hours by appointment

 

Description

UCI’s fifty years have spanned some of the most tumultuous in history; the changing aesthetic and values of the late modern and postmodern eras are reflected in the evolution of its physical infrastructure. From its Irvine Ranch origins, to Pereira and Uematsu’s late-modern designs for initial buildings and park, to the postmodern building boom led by David Neuman, and finally to current construction and schemes for the future, this course will explore the history of UCI’s architecture and landscape and the dynamic cultural forces these spaces represent.

Students in this Freshman Seminar will help orchestrate guided tours of key campus architecture and landscape elements. These will be augmented by assigned readings written by and on the subject of the designers and design principles present on campus. Students will also assist in the creation of an online resource devoted to campus architecture, landscape, and design.

Jesse Colin Jackson is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Art. His creative research centers on object and image making as discursive modes of architectural production. Educated as an architect and engineer, Jackson appropriates the images, forms, and conceptual apparatus found in the urban landscape.

 

Learning Outcomes

At the conclusion of this freshman seminar, students will have

• Gained knowledge and appreciation for the architecture and landscape of UCI
• Contributed to an online resource focused on the architecture and landscape of UCI
• Developed the ability to critically evaluate landscape and architecture as a human endeavor

 

Projects

There are two projects in this course, to be completed in groups of two or three. Groups will be assigned in the third week of class.

Project One: A Campus Tour

Select an element of UCI’s architecture and landscape. This might be a building, a group of buildings, an outdoor space, or a master strategy. A variety of possibilities will be discussed in the first two weeks of class. You must make your selection by the fourth week of class.

With your group, prepare a fifty-minute tour that explores your selection. A tour is a creative undertaking, and both its format and content are open to interrogation. Strategies for interrogation will be discussed in the third week of class. The goal of your tour is to help us critically engage with the space of our campus.

Your campus tour date will be assigned in the fourth week of class.

Project Two: An Online Resource

Building on your campus tour, generate a page on the course website dedicated to your selection. Details regarding how to access and create your page will be provided in the third week of class. The goal of your online resource is to extend the critical engagement provided by your tour to a larger audience.

Your online resource is due one week after your tour date. Online comments discussing each online resource, and the space it presents, are required by all students. These may be posted until December 18.

 

Website

All course resources will be available on the course website. Note that online contributions will form a substantial proportion of your grade for this course.

 

Lateness

Late completion of projects will not be permitted. Please let me know right away if your group is having a problem completing a project on time.

 

Grading

The final grade will consider in-class participation (20%); online comments (20%); Project One, your group’s campus tour (30%); and Project Two, your group’s online resource (30%). Evaluation criteria for each of the above will be provided on the course website as necessary.

 

Academic Integrity

The University is an institution of learning, research, and scholarship predicated on the existence of an environment of honesty and integrity. It is essential that all members of the academic community subscribe to the ideal of academic honesty and integrity and accept individual responsibility for their work.

Students have responsibility for:

• Refraining from cheating and plagiarism.
• Refusing to aid or abet any form of academic dishonesty.
• Notifying professors and/or appropriate administrative officials about observed incidents of academic misconduct.

Details of the UCI Academic Senate Policy on Academic Honesty can be found online.