SOS 226-03 Urban Spaces, Buildings, and Historical Narratives
Gray 301, Tuesdays and Thursdays 8:30-9:50
Instructor: Michael Wakeford
Office: Gray 221; Phone 631-1507
wakefordm@ncarts.edu
Office Hours: Mon & Wed 10-11 am and by app’t
URBAN SPACES, BUILDINGS,
and HISTORICAL NARRATIVES
Just as artists and filmmakers construct narratives through their arrangement of space through
time, so, too, do those who give form and meaning to the material city (whether at the level of
urban design or the laying of bricks) and those who live in and assign meaning to everyday urban
spaces. This course will examine urban history through the built environment—city planning and
design, landscape architecture, domestic and civic architecture, monuments and memorials, and
the organization of street life and public spaces—and examine those spaces for how they gave
rise to, and record, narratives of political and social power, socioeconomic transformation,
gender and racial politics, and other micropolitics of the everyday. Along the way, students will
think about how the narrative readings of urban space can help us think about other tellings of
urban history and practices of remembering (‘official’ city histories, oral history, narratives
produced through pop culture, etc.).
Texts/Materials
—Dell Upton, Architecture in the United States
—Richard Sennett, The Conscience of the Eye
—You will be required to visit the upcoming exhibit at Reynolda House Museum of Art on your
own time, Seeing the City: Sloan’s New York. The show features the work of John Sloan, the
American painter and one of the figures associated with the early-20th century Ashcan School of
urban realism. The show opens on October 3rd and will be open for the duration of the term.With
a valid student ID, your entry is $$$FREE$$
http://www.reynoldahouse.org/discover/exhibitions/u_exhibitions_detail.php?featureid=901009515
—YOU MUST bring paper copies of readings to class on the day/s they are being discussed.
Learning Outcomes/Course Objectives:
 Develop an understanding of how and why the American urban built environment has
changed over time
 Critically engage with a variety of historical and theoretical literature about urban spaces
and buildings as expressions, instruments, and locations of social, political, and narrative
power
 Write and speak effectively on topics including the contested nature of historical
narrative, the built environment as text/narrative, and the issues of power that can be
“read” in the human interaction w/ urban forms.
 Improve and demonstrate ability to read analytically and critically


Improve and demonstrate ability to write clearly and persuasively at the college level
Improve and demonstrate ability to discuss course material in class at the college level
Assignments/Evaluation
Attendance (10%)
In-class Discussions (15%)
“Seeing the City: John Sloan’s New York” Critical Response (2 pages) (15%)
Course Blog Discussion (20%) at http://www.mikewakeford.com/ncarts
4-5 page paper (1250 words minimum) (20%)
Final Urban Narrative Project (20%). Details soon.
LAPTOPS-IN-CLASS POLICY: Open laptops are not allowed. With due apologies to those of
you who prefer to use your laptop for taking-notes and doing an occasional relevant info search
(believe me, I get it—I love my computer, too), there is simply too clear a correspondence
between open computers and disengagement from class discussions. This is not universally true,
but generally so. During class time, you need the text and a writing implement.
ATTENDANCE POLICY: Attendance will be recorded, and will constitute 10% of your final
grade. Out of respect for you, I do not distinguish between excused/unexcused absences—in
other words, I presume that when you aren’t in class, there’s a good reason. The attendance
policy, below, provides for the inevitabilities of sickness, emergency, etc., but also reflects that
classroom presence will be essential to successful completion of this course. In extenuating
instances (e.g. extended personal illness or family emergencies) it is your responsibility to
communicate with me so we can consider special accommodations, and your responsibility to
provide appropriate documentation confirming the need for said absence. Here’s a guide to
follow:
 3 absences by October 22 (middle of term)—automatic drop from class
 1-3 total absences—attendance grade “A”
 4 absences—attendance grade “D”
 5 absences—“F” for course
Failure to show up for an exam without prior permission will result in an F on the exam. Failure
to show up for an exam without prior permission will result in an F on the exam.
**TARDINESS POLICY: Straggling into the classroom—5, 10, 15 minutes late—is
unacceptable. This is rude and distracting, to both the instructor and your colleagues. Attendance
will be taken at the beginning of class. 10 minutes after class begins, regardless of whether you
arrive or not, you will be counted as absent.
Early Departure/Early Exam: While Early Departure before the end of the term is
discouraged, NCSA recognizes that, from time to time, extenuating circumstances will
necessitate approval of such Early Departure. Students seeking permission to leave school early
should meet with the Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Academic Program and with their Arts
Dean to obtain a permission form and to discuss Early Departure. (NOTE: Travel or vacation
plans are NOT acceptable reasons for Early Departure. Students should carefully consult the
academic calendar and plan accordingly.) For approval of Early Departure from undergraduate
academic and arts classes, an Early Departure Form must be signed by the appropriate
academic and arts instructor(s) and returned to the Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Academic
Programs and the Arts Dean no less than three weeks prior to the end of the term. Students
who leave campus before the end of the term without having been granted the appropriate
permission will be considered to have unexcused absences.
Plagiarism Policy:
DO NOT PLAGIARIZE. If you take this course, you are responsible for understanding the
school’s guidelines on academic honesty (available in school Bulletin). Any act of plagiarism in
any course assignment will result in an automatic “F” for the course. Plagiarism is “literary
theft.” It is a betrayal of your own personal integrity and the NCSA community. In any written
assignment for the class, you must cite the sources you use. If you borrow words (quoted or
paraphrased) or ideas, you must credit the original source. If you are in doubt about whether you
should cite something, play it safe and do so. As a rule of thumb, err on the side of unnecessary
citation, rather than failing to attribute credit where it is due. You are responsible for reading and
understanding these policies. A failure to have done so will not be an acceptable excuse for any
violation.
The library has a good link that connects you citation guidelines:
http://faculty.ncarts.edu/library/handouts/docs/CITING%20SOURCES.htm
Accommodations for Students with Disabilities:
In compliance with North Carolina School of the Arts policy and equal access laws, I am
available to discuss appropriate academic accommodations that may be required for students
with disabilities. Requests for academic accommodations are to be made during the first three
weeks of the trimester, except for unusual circumstances, so arrangements can be made to assist
the student. Individuals are encouraged to register with the Officer for Student Disabilities (in the
Student Commons) to verify their eligibility for appropriate accommodations.
Communication:
If you are having difficulty in the class, a complaint about an assignment, grade, etc., or an
unavoidable scheduling problem that will interfere with your course performance, come see me
in office hours, call, or email. I can only address those concerns that are brought to my attention.
SCHEDULE
I. HISTORY and THEORY of BUILT SPACES
9/18 Intros & Syllabus. A discussion about terms.
9/23 Upton, Architecture in the United States, Intro and Ch. 1 (55pp); David Harvey, “The Time
and Space of the Enlightenment Project” from The Condition of Postmodernity
Sept. 24 is last day to drop/add
9/25 Sennett, Conscience of the Eye: The Design and Social Life of Cities, Intro, Chs. 1-2 (67pp)
9/30 Upton, Architecture in the United States, Ch.2 “Community” and Ch. 3 “Nature”
10/2 Kevin Lynch, “The Image of the Environment” from The Image of the City (1959) pp. 1-13;
Michel de Certeau, “Spatial Stories” from The Practice of Everyday Life (1984); excerpt of
Henri Lefebvre, The Production of Space
10/7 Upton, Ch. 5 “Money”
10/9 Sennett, Ch. 3,4
in class: Walking tour of Washington Park neighborhood (guided by Suze Bragg, author of
Historic Washington Park (Arcadia Press, 2007)
10/14 Sennett, Chs. 7,8,9
10/16 to be decided . . .
II. URBAN SPACES & CONTESTED HISTORICAL NARRATIVES
10/21 W. Fitzhugh Brundage, “Black Memorials and the Bulldozer Revolution” pp. 227-269
from The Southern Past: A Clash of Race and Memory (2005)
10/23 Allan Pred, “Languages of Everyday Practice and Resistance: Stockholm at the End of the
Nineteenth Century”
10/28 John Stilgoe, Ch. 5 “Interstate” from Outside Lies Magic: Regaining History and
Awareness in Everyday Places (89-101)
Oct 29 is the last day to withdraw from course!
10/30 Alan Wallach, “The Battle of ‘The West as America’” from Exhibiting Contradiction:
Essays on the Art Museum in the United States
11/4 Sally Stein, “The President’s Two Bodies: Stagings and Restagings of FDR and the New
Deal Body Politics” from American Art (Spring 2004) YES, we’re reading about the President
on ELECTION DAY!!! VOTE!!
“Seeing the City: John Sloan’s New York” Critical Response Papers Due on Tuesday, 11/5
by 11:59PM
11/6 Guest lecturer—Mr. Nick Bragg, artist & former Executive Director of Reynolda House
Museum of Art
11/11 Mike Wallace, “Mickey Mouse History: Portraying the Past at Disney World” from
Mickey Mouse History and Other Essays on American Memory
11/13 Mike Davis, “Fortress L.A.” from City of Quartz: Excavating the Future in Los Angeles
11/18 TBD
4-5 page Paper Due by email, by 11:59PM, attached as “YOURNAME.doc” Word file
11/20 Urban Narrative Project Presentations
Final Exam: Tuesday, November 25th 1PM-3PM
Finish Urban Narrative Project Presentations