B3227 - Methods and History of Architectural Historiography

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student is able to carry out bibliographic and archival research useful for the drafting of a text on the history of architecture and the contemporary city. He/she will have learnt the modalities of elaborating a historical research, from its setting up to the particular and general themes of research.

Course contents

The course is dedicated to the analysis of the narrative structures of the historiography of the Modern Movement and the exercise of writing with an architectural background as a tool for historiographical and design construction.

The course is divided into three modules:

The historiographical traditions of the Modern Movement

During lectures the main historiographical narratives of the Modern Movement will be presented.

Bibliographic and archival research techniques

During lectures some techniques of bibliographic and archival sources treatment, the useful tools for research and some ways to systematise them will be discussed. The second part of the module will be of an operational and collective nature and will take place in the library and archive.

Writing and style exercises

The last part will be workshop-based and will consist of writing a text from the sources previously identified and analysed. During this last phase, speakers will discuss the relationship between image and word in photography, art history and architecture.

Readings/Bibliography

The study of this minimum bibliography is necessary to understand the course content and to prepare for the exercise. It will be the subject of the examination interview.
On the architectural historiography of the Modern Movement:

1. M.L. SCALVINI, M.G. SANDRI, L'immagine storiografica dell'architettura contemporanea da Platz a Giedion, Roma, Officina edizioni, 1984.
2. P. TOURNIKIOTIS, The Historiography of Modern Architecture, Cambridge (Mass.); London, MIT Press, 1999.

On questions of method:

1. A. BERARDINELLI, La forma del saggio. Definizione e attualità di un genere letterario, Venezia, Marsilio, 2002
2. M. BLOCH, Apologia della storia o mestiere di storico, Torino, Einaudi, 1950.
3. A. BIONDI, Tempi e forme della storiografia, in Letteratura italiana, vol. III, Torino, Einaudi, 1984.
4. U. ECO, Come si fa una tesi di laurea, Milano, Bompiani, 1977.
5. C. SEGRE, Testo letterario, interpretazione, storia: linee concettuali e categorie critiche, in Letteratura italiana, vol. IV, Torino, Einaudi, 1985.

On the object of the research:

1. Bologna centro storico, catalogo della mostra omonima (Bologna, Palazzo d'Accursio, 1970), Bologna, Alfa, 1970.
2. A. EMILIANI, Una politica dei beni culturali, Torino, Einaudi, 1974.

Teaching methods

Lectures, seminars, exercises, study trips.

The exercise consists of writing a historiographical text from the bibliographical and archival research conducted during the course and preparing a presentation to be given during the final seminar.

Assessment methods

The examination consists of the presentation, during the final seminar, of the exercises prepared during the course.

To be admitted to the examination, three days before the presentation, the student must upload the exercises in the appropriate section of the course page hosted on the "Virtual" platform.

During the examination, the following will be assessed
- the research techniques learnt;
- the critical reading and source checking skills;
- the accuracy of the writing of the text and the structuring of the apparatus;
- the presentation of the research.

Teaching tools

All course materials - slides, films, handouts - will be available on the 'Virtuale' website.

Office hours

See the website of Matteo Cassani Simonetti