This class introduced students to Japanese architecture through the lens of ‘the performance of power’ – focusing on how architecture can legitimize authority. It was taught to around 30 students, mostly juniors or seniors and with a high proportion of art history or architecture majors. In addition to short quizzes, the main assessment was a podcast I asked students to create in groups. The podcast was an audio tour of a famous architectural monument. This was an experiment for me, but over all it went pretty well. I was very careful to structure and scaffold the project by building in multiple steps (first create an annotated bibliography, then a script, then a practice version, etc.) Students needed a fair amount of coaching on using audio software and recording, but most were able to adapt or opted to use easy solutions, like recording on an iPhone.
- See the class syllabus and schedule.
- See the podcast audio tour project.
- See an example PowerPoint.