The City in Theory: Her Agency

Abstract

This seminar explores women's contribution to post-war urban theory and design, focusing on 1) the concept of agency 2) the notion of “professional woman” and 3) critical writing as a methodology. Students will read and critically engage in class discussions. They will also each analyze a female protagonist's contribution to urban design and theory and, collectively, build an online exhibition.

Objective

Upon completion of this course students will: (1) Be familiarized with the notion of “agency” and learn how to use it as an analytical lens for research (2) Better understand the different roles that professional women have played in the design of cities, post-war. (3) Be able to use critical writing as a methodology for analyzing women's contribution to urban theory and design (4) Be skilled in communicating research findings to a wider audience

Content

Architecture and urban culture operate along axes, which sometimes run parallel and sometimes cross each other. Traditionally, these axes have been defined and dominated by male figures. In the post-war era, however, the “female professional” emerged (in the role of architects, politicians, urban designers, journalists, editors, and curators) who started to critically engage in discussions on urban design and actively contribute to the design of cities. This seminar intents to follow the work and life of a series of these female professionals of the post-war era, showing how, while operating in different contexts and networks, these women have forged the discourses and practices of their generation. By fully acknowledging the contributions of these female protagonists as both an inspiration source and as designer, this seminar sets out to make a correction to the existing, male-dominated histories and theories of urban design. During the seminar, we will study the concept of agency – that is, the action or intervention producing a particular effect— of women through their contribution to urban theory and design. Parallel to that, we will explore to what degree ideas on cities have changed in the post-war period because of women's thinking and actions. Questions we will address in class discussion include but are not limited to, in what different roles did professional women operate and put their agency to work in sharing their ideas? How can we use critical writing to assess the agency of women on the city? Course structure This course is based on weekly, two-hour seminars structured around a series of input sessions on the themes of “agency” and “professional women,” as well as the acquisition of critical writing skills. During the first class, students will be asked to choose one female protagonist (from a pre-selected group) on which to focus their individual research to be carried out over the course of the entire semester. As part of their research, students will actively gather relevant sources in the library that can contribute to the research questions posed above. The semester-long individual research will culminate in a short piece of critical writing to be included in the collaborative online exhibition. Assessment The final grade consists of: Active participation in class discussions (15%) Individual research project and piece of critical writing (55%) Collective online exhibition (30%)

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