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40 552 Moving Monuments: Rome
Admission to AHO and successful completion of three years bachelor level studies (180 ECTS).
The course is open to students from: Architecture and Landscape Architecture
OCCAS Moving Monuments: Rome offers a study of historical monuments, pursuing a double aim: It both invites an in-depth, critical analysis of specific sites in Rome and an understanding of the history and media through which these sites are transformed.
Initially, the students are asked to pick a monument in Rome from a preselected list. Throughout the term, they will work with and investigate their chosen monument in ways that challenge and expand the notion of “monument” and include manifestations in books, images, films, texts etc. To aid the investigation, weekly seminars led by OCCAS teachers will present a spectrum of approaches to architectural research.
“Moving” may refer to the concrete transportation of architecture, but also to the recreation and circulation of monuments in various media and materials, museums and models, print- and preservation strategies. Experts in respective fields join forces to share their insights about past monuments but also about the methods that enable us to think, write and talk about them.
Knowledge:
- The course will provide an extensive knowledge of sites and buildings, primarily in Rome, as well as of the media and materials that convey them, ranging from plaster to the popular press. Students will also learn how to perform as confident researchers, able to command and apply contemporary perspectives on a historical material.
Skills:
- The course teaches the skills of research, such as hermeneutics, archival studies, visual analysis, and textual interpretation. Equally important, it aims to turn students into confident scholars, drilling course participants in rhetoric and presentation techniques.
General competence:
- Students that will have taken the course will know how to think critically about architecture and history; they will also be in possession of a toolbox of perspectives and techniques invaluable in the preparation and presentation of projects in respective careers as architects and designers.
The course is structured as a series of mini-seminars organized by the OCCAS teaching staff. One of the seminars takes place in Rome, the others at AHO, consisting of a combination of lectures and workshops. In three assignments, the students are asked to present different aspect of “their” monument. Simultaneously they will work on their main presentation under individual supervision.
Activities count weekly lectures/workshops, a field trip to Rome, the presentations of three short essays throughout the term, and a final 30-minute lecture.
Excursion:
The course includes a three-day seminar in Rome followed by an individual study period (ca. 10 days) at The Norwegian Institute in Rome. The costs are covered by the students. There will be an alternative program for those who choose to remain in Oslo.
Click here for reading list in Leganto.
| Mandatory coursework | Courseworks required | Presence required | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exercise | Required | The course work centers on oral presentations of three short essays (ca. 10 minutes) and a final presentation (30-minutes). In the three short essays, each student is expected to present their chosen monument from the perspectives that have been examined and discussed during seminars. |
| Form of assessment | Grouping | Grading scale | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oral Exam | Individual | Pass / fail | The final grade is based on the final oral presentation. The presentation is at the end of the semester and takes the form of a 30-minute lecture for an invited audience, based on a manuscript and complete with pictures. |
| Workload activity | Comment |
|---|---|
| Attendance | Participation and attendance in lectures, workshops and seminars is expected. |
| Excursion | Those who do not have the opportunity to participate in an excursion will be given an assignment/a project that replaces this. |