Moving across history in time and space, this course will overview the multifaceted architectural and urbanist dimensions of East Asia - from its urban planning concepts and monuments, to construction techniques and aesthetic concepts. It will extract some of the most defining epochs in East-Asian history, such as the spread of Buddhism, Colonialism, and the embrace and assimilation of Western Modernism. Going from Japan to China, and Korea to Hong Kong, this course will offer insights into how East Asian culture offers an intellectual counterpoint to the West, and why it remains deeply relevant to our increasingly globalizing world.
The online seminar includes:
- Video presentations (1 hour/week) that you watch on your own schedule
- Background and primary source readings
- Mandatory online forum participation
- 5 Weekly live online discussion with the specialist for that topic
Benefits:
- 1 salary points for Los Angeles Unified School District.
- For all other districts, 3 Continuing Education Units (processing fee applicable)
- Online resources and materials
Schedule:
The seminar live discussions will be held virtually on Thursdays for the following dates (6/5, 6/12, 6/19, 6/26, 7/10). Reading assignments and pre-recorded lectures for each week will be available in an online forum and are to be completed prior to the discussion sessions (approximately 2 hours of work per week). Access and log-in information will be provided upon acceptance into the course. Please refer to the Seminar Requirements Document for details on assignments and course completion.
Week 1: Learning from East Asia and City Form and Planning Concepts
Week 2: The Buddhist Thread and Experiments in Material
Week 3: Aesthetics and Symbols and The Architecture of the Dwelling
Week 4: Colonialism and its Legacies - Redefining Western Modernism
Week 5: The Informal City and Lessons from the Contemporary City
Instructor:
Vinayak Bharne is a practicing urban designer, city planner, professor, and author. As Associate Partner and Director of Urban Design & Planning at Gruen Associates, he leads the city design efforts of one of Los Angeles’s most respected legacy firms. His work ranges from satellite cities, new towns, campus plans, and housing for corporate, private, and institutional clients to urban policies and strategic advising for government and non-government agencies worldwide.
Bharne teaches in USC’s undergraduate and graduate architecture, landscape architecture, and heritage conservation programs. He conducts theory seminars on global architecture and urbanism and coordinates international studios on urban design and planning. A former adjunct faculty member at USC’s Sol Price School of Public Policy, he is now an affiliated faculty member at the university’s East Asian Studies Center, US-China Institute, and Shinso Ito Center for Japanese Religions and Culture.