Course description
A course in the making, perception, and future of the American environment, emphasizing contemporary views in advertising, news media, geography, and amateur and professional photography, all as related to ordinary Americans, especially farmers, the military, investors, urban and suburban residents, children, and above all, travelers. Topics range from streets, villages, railroads, shopping malls, and schools to backyards, energy-efficient site design, malls, urban neighborhoods, riverfronts, crossroads, and highways. The course emphasizes the big picture visual understanding of United States built form, the myriad ways individuals see differently and why, the way thoughtful observers find all sorts of secret knowledge, and why looking acutely often produces glimpses of the future of things and cultural shifts.
