110-221 Dynamics of Japanese Architecture & Art

Formerly available as 110-117. Students who have completed 110-117 are not eligible to enrol in this subject.

Any first year subject in the Melbourne Institute of Asian Languages and Societies, 107-130 Art History A, 107-131 Art History B or a first year subject from the Faculty of Architecture, Planning and Building.

This subject forms an introduction to traditional Japanese architectural types: shrines, temples, castles, palaces, tea houses and residences, and discusses the relevance of tradition to Japanese architecture today. Students who complete the subject should be able to analyse buildings to understand Japanese architectural design, aesthetics and technology; discover the characteristics of major architectural types in Japan and the relationship between how buildings are made and what they look like; and discover the relevance of building traditional and modern works of architecture including the differences between hereditary master builders and the architect today and the role of screen paintings as walls and as internalised nature.

• written communication through essay writing and seminar discussion;

• research through competent use of the library, and other information sources and the definition of areas of inquiry and methods of research;

• attention to detail through essay preparation and writing;

• time management and planning through managing and organising workloads for recommended reading, essay and assignment completion;

• public speaking through tutorial and seminar discussion and class presentations;

• critical thinking and analysis through recommended reading, essay writing and tutorial discussion, and by determining strength of an argument.

A 2000-word essay 50% (due late in semester) and a 2-hour examination 50% (due during the examination period). Students are required to attend a minimum of 70% of all classes in order to be eligible to submit work.

• W J Coaldrake, Architecture and Authority in Japan. Routledge 1996.