COURSE INFORMATION Course Title: ARCHITECTURE AND UTOPIA

Code	Course Type	Regular Semester	Theory	Practice	Lab	Credits	ECTS
ARCH 571	C	8	3	0	0	3	6

Academic staff member responsible for the design of the course syllabus (name, surname, academic title/scientific degree, email address and signature)	Assoc.Prof.Dr. Odeta Manahasa odurmishi@epoka.edu.al
Main Course Lecturer (name, surname, academic title/scientific degree, email address and signature) and Office Hours:	M.Sc. Katjana Boriçi kborici@epoka.edu.al , Thursday, 14:45 - 16:30
Second Course Lecturer(s) (name, surname, academic title/scientific degree, email address and signature) and Office Hours:	NA
Language:	English
Compulsory/Elective:	Elective
Study program: (the study for which this course is offered)	Integrated second cycle study program in Architecture (5 years)
Classroom and Meeting Time:
Teaching Assistant(s) and Office Hours:	NA
Code of Ethics:	Code of Ethics of EPOKA University Regulation of EPOKA University "On Student Discipline"
Attendance Requirement:
Course Description:	This course explores utopian works in architecture and art, including those by Le Corbusier, Frank Lloyd Wright, Yona Friedman, George Nelson, Claude-Nicolas Ledoux, William Morris, and others. We look at how history plays a part in utopian theories, which frequently rely on actual or hypothetical perceptions of societal structures in the past. By including group projects throughout the term, this class will also critically explore the connection between theory and practice, adding to the architectural thinking of students and beyond. Can architecture design a utopian environment that is different from the one we usually inhabit? The course will end with an exhibition of the students' utopian artwork.
Course Objectives:	What does the scope, structure and content of practice reveal about the state of design and ambitions of design today ? This course will be structured around a series of case studies that range from the poetic and experimental to the normative, interdisciplinary hybrids and socially engaged collectives. Students will examine the philosophical premises of different conceptions through readings. And they will compare different approaches by being integrated in practical development of a concept.

BASIC CONCEPTS OF THE COURSE

1	Philosophical Foundations.
2	Spatialization of Ideals.
3	Modernist Project.
4	Crisis and Critique.
5	Post-Utopian Condition

COURSE OUTLINE

Week	Topics
1	Introduction
2	Shifting Paradigms
3	Social/Participatory/Collaborative Design
4	Case Study: Yona Friedman, architect, urban designer
5	Critical Design
6	Case Study: George Nelson, architect, designer, writer
7	Design and Ethics
8	Case Study: Christopher Robbins, artist
9	Midterm presentation
10	Case Study: Dan Friedman, communication designer
11	DIY/DIWO/Agency
12	Case Study: Peter Lloyd Jones, biologist/hybrid designer
13	Perspectives on the Relevance of Aesthetics
14	Final Presentation

Prerequisite(s):
Textbook(s):
Additional Literature:
Laboratory Work:
Computer Usage:	Yes
Others:	No

COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES

1	Ability to translate architectural theory into architectural design.
2	Ability to contextualize design within related modes of thought, i.e. philosophy, sociology, anthropology, history, and aesthetics.
3	Ability to produce a concept map of a design practice.
4	Ability to critically write and explain a conceptually strong design outcome.
5	A thorough understanding of important social and economical conditions linked to architecture and urban planning.

COURSE CONTRIBUTION TO... PROGRAM COMPETENCIES (Blank : no contribution, 1: least contribution ... 5: highest contribution)

No	Program Competencies	Cont.
Integrated second cycle study program in Architecture (5 years) Program

COURSE EVALUATION METHOD

Method	Quantity	Percentage
Midterm Exam(s)	1	35
Presentation	1	10
Quiz	1	10
Final Exam	1	40
Attendance		5
	Total Percent:	100%

ECTS (ALLOCATED BASED ON STUDENT WORKLOAD)

Activities	Quantity	Duration(Hours)	Total Workload(Hours)
Course Duration (Including the exam week: 16x Total course hours)	16	3	48
Hours for off-the-classroom study (Pre-study, practice)	16	3	48
Mid-terms	1	3	3
Assignments	4	12	48
Final examination	1	3	3
Other			0
Total Work Load:			150
Total Work Load/25(h):			6
ECTS Credit of the Course:			6

CONCLUDING REMARKS BY THE COURSE LECTURER

Architecture and Utopia (ARCH 571) serves as a laboratory for architectural innovation while firmly contributing to the core of architectural thinking and beyond.