Summary of class and introduction to final project portfolios (Espanol)

Chile celebrates its bicentennial as a republic in 2010. The objective of the course is to stimulate students to look at and see the "built environment" or the "patriomonio construido" of this place where we will live, Chile, and to understand what we see in light of the history, geography, and self-perceptions of the people and the place. Field trips will include visits to major sites in Santiago, economic centers (Santiago, mining and a port), and a small city outside of the capital of Santiago. We will look at big symbolic buildings, more intimate public spaces like parks, and the home. We will look at the design and use of the built environment from the perspectives of the unusual geography of Chile, the evolving economy of the country, the Spanish and native American cultural heritage of the peoples, and the changing national political governance. We will look at descriptions of the built environment by both writers and artists from the periods around 1800, 1900 and 2000. Students will create simple electronic portfolios of their work, including digital photos; their own sketches and diagrams; descriptions of what they find in literature, art, history and personal visits; and discussions of the way architectural design, building use, history and self-perception relate. We will use the portfolio as the basis for discussions; as a place to structure and integrate multidisciplinary perspectives; as a student and faculty-initiated progress assessment, and as a place to integrate the visual, conceptual and emotional views of what we see and experience. We will use the portfolios to create significant thinking, reflection, writing and presentation experiences.