COURSE INFORMATION Course Title: ENVIRONMENTAL AESTHETICS

Code	Course Type	Regular Semester	Theory	Practice	Lab	Credits	ECTS
ARCH 482	A	100	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)	NA
Lecturer (name, surname, academic title/scientific degree, email address and signature) and Office Hours:	Desantila Hysa
Second Lecturer(s) (name, surname, academic title/scientific degree, email address and signature) and Office Hours:	NA
Teaching Assistant(s) and Office Hours:	NA
Language:	English
Compulsory/Elective:	Compulsory
Classroom and Meeting Time:
Course Description:	-
Course Objectives:	Aesthetics is the branch of philosophy that studies the nature of the beautiful. This course explores the aesthetics of the natural and built environments, including landscapes, places, and buildings. A major emphasis is contrasting philosophical approaches, including semiotic, post-structural, and phenomenological perspectives. The course is conducted as a seminar and includes group discussion on readings. To introduce students to the study of aesthetics and to consider key questions and problems involved with examining aesthetic dimensions of environments and landscapes. ▪ To introduce students to both philosophical and applied studies in aesthetics and environmental aesthetics. ▪ To make students aware of contrasting conceptual approaches to environmental aesthetics, including semiotic, post-structural, hermeneutic, and phenomenological perspectives. ▪ To introduce students to several empirical studies of environmental aesthetics, including analytic and phenomenological work.

COURSE OUTLINE

Week	Topics
1	Introduction to Aesthetics and Ways of Seeing: The Aesthetic Field
2	The Nature of Environmental Aesthetics
3	Floors, Stairs and Natural Symbols: Phenomenological Approaches to Environmental Aesthetics
4	Walls, Landscapes, and Natural Symbols
5	Walls, Peril, and the Deconstructionist Approach to Environmental Aesthetics
6	Approaches to Aesthetics: Semiotics and Prospect-Refuge Theory
7	Cognitive, Visual, and Formalist Approaches to Aesthetics
8	Midterm Week
9	Artistic, Historical, and Marxist-Structural Approaches to Aesthetics
10	Environmental Aesthetics and Differences in Taste: The Example of Public Art
11	Pattern Languages and Aesthetics
12	Christopher Alexander’s Approach to Environmental Aesthetics
13	A New Theory of Urban Design
14	Final Paper Presentation

Prerequisite(s):
Textbook:	Christopher Alexander. A New Theory of Urban Form. NY: Oxford University Press, 1987. A provocative effort to develop a way of designing that creates a sense of place, order, and life in the modern city. Thomas Thiis-Evensen. Archetypes in Architecture. NY: Oxford University Press, 1989. A study of the essential elements of architecture, which Thiis-Evensen argues can be understood in terms of floor, wall, and roof. An important effort to establish an aesthetic language of the built environment grounded in lived environmental and architectural experience. Juhani Pallasmaa. The Eyes of the Skin: Architecture and the Senses. London: Wiley, 2005. Argues that architects must move beyond the visual appearance of buildings and create an architecture that is multi-sensory and symbolically resonant.
Other References:	Emily Brady. Aesthetics of the Natural Environment. Edinburgh: Edinburgh Univ. Press, 2003. A systematic account of human aesthetics and the natural environment, including an historical overview. A useful articulation of various conceptual approaches to aesthetic themes and issues. We will read the first two chapters as an introduction to aesthetic issues. Robert Mugerauer. Interpretations on Behalf of Place. Albany, NY: State University of NewYork Press, 1994. A helpful attempt to describe current conceptual approaches to architectural and environmental thinking, particularly phenomenological, hermeneutic, and post-structural perspectives.
Laboratory Work:
Computer Usage:
Others:	No

COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES

1	Understanding human behavior and experience in relation to environmental and architectural concerns
2	Understanding ethical issues in regard to social, political, and cultural issues
3	Understanding the architect‘s responsibility to work in the public interest, to respect historic resources, and to improve the quality of life (

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

No	Program Competencies	Cont.
Master of Science in Architecture Program
1	Speaking and Writing Skills Ability to read, write, listen, and speak effectively	5
2	Critical Thinking Skills Ability to raise clear and precise questions, use abstract ideas to interpret information, consider diverse points of view, reach well-reasoned conclusions, and test them against relevant criteria and standards	5
3	Graphics Skills Ability to use appropriate representational media, including freehand drawing and computer technology, to convey essential formal elements at each stage of the programming and design process	3
4	Research Skills Ability to gather, assess, record, and apply relevant information in architectural course work	5
5	Formal Ordering Systems Understanding of the fundamentals of visual perception and the principles and systems of order that inform two- and three-dimensional design, architectural composition, and urban design
6	Fundamental Design Skills Ability to use basic architectural principles in the design of buildings, interior spaces, and sites
7	Collaborative Skills Ability to recognize the varied talent found in interdisciplinary design project teams in professional practice and work in collaboration with other students as members of a design team	3
8	International Traditions Understanding of the International architectural canons and traditions in architecture, landscape and urban design, as well as the climatic, technological, culture-economic, and other cultural factors that have shaped and sustained them
9	National and Regional Traditions Understanding of national traditions and the local regional heritage in architecture, landscape design and urban design, including the vernacular tradition
10	Use of Precedents Ability to incorporate relevant precedents into architecture and urban design projects
11	Conservation and Restoration of Historical Districts Knowledge on historical districts and the gain of conservation consciousness documentation of historical buildings and the understanding the techniques which are needed to prepare restoration projects.
12	Human Behavior Understanding of the theories and methods of inquiry that seek to clarify the relationship between human behavior and the physical environment
13	Human Diversity Understanding of the diverse needs, values, behavioral norms, physical ability, and social and spatial patterns that characterize different cultures and individuals and the implication of this diversity for the societal roles and responsibilities of architects	5

COURSE EVALUATION METHOD

Method	Quantity	Percentage
Homework	5	6
Presentation	1	20
Term Paper	1	40
Attendance		10
	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)	14	4	56
Mid-terms	1	11	11
Assignments	5	2	10
Final examination	1	25	25
Other			0
Total Work Load:			150
Total Work Load/25(h):			6
ECTS Credit of the Course:			6