Courses

Ten Things from Human History: An Archaeology of Design

(Note: This course is open to the public upon registration with Stanford's Continuing Studies program)

Most of us are unconscious of design, our interactions with our everyday artifact world, including the design of intangible experiences such as a visit to a car dealership or health care facility.  Each of the ten artifacts presents different challenges in figuring out how it worked, in every sense, and as we progress we will build a toolkit of insights, questions, and concepts that will enable a better understanding of design innovation and creativity, indeed of our human... Read More

ID
DSN 105
Terms
2014 - Winter
Units
2
Grading

The View through the Windshield: Cars and the American Landscape

Both cars and the landscape are fundamental to American identity. This seminar will consider the relationship between them: how they have shaped each other, how one mediates the experience of the other, and how American artists such as Ansel Adams, Edward Hopper, and Ed Ruscha have represented both. We will discuss the relationship between nature and technology; the aesthetics of highways and parkways; the phenomenology of driving and road trips; maps and way finding; and the future of cars, mapping, and the landscape.

Instructor: Elizabeth Kessler. Course catalog link.

ID
ARTHIST 263B
Terms
2013 - Fall
Units
4
Grading
Letter

Utopia and Reality: Introduction to Urban Studies

The study of cities and urban civilization. History of urbanization and current issues such as suburbanization, racial discrimination, globalization, and urban sustainability. Public policies designed to address these issues and Utopian versions of what cities could be in the future. A portion of this class, supported by the Revs Program at Stanford, focuses on automobiles and transportation. For more information and schedule, click here.

ID
URBANST 110
Terms
2013 - Fall
Units
4
Grading
Letter