Program Overview

Program Overview

The Rice School of Architecture offers a comprehensive program in architecture, with various courses and research areas. One of the key courses is ARCH 550, which focuses on curatorial practices in architecture.

Course Description

ARCH 550 (1): Curators Talk

This course introduces students to architectural criticism through oral histories and theoretical writings on spoken history and interviewing methodologies. Students will study and practice the skills and techniques required to conceptualize, conduct, edit, and disseminate oral histories. The course will engage the interview format as an active form of architectural criticism.

Course Objectives

• Equip students with the best practices of interviewing, introduced via reading, discussion, and experienced guests
• Conduct interviews with globally experienced curators and discuss the specific challenges of exhibiting architecture
• Engage in extended critical discussion of individual approaches to the representation of space through the techniques and formats of the architectural exhibition
• Transcribe and edit conversations into a publishable record, resulting in a compendium of case studies that expand the field of architecture and the space of the gallery into a platform of architectural criticism

Research Areas

The course explores various research areas, including:

• Cultural questions of equity, social justice, labor, race, class, and lifestyle
• Spatial issues of density, living standards, infrastructure, climate, and sustainability
• The representation of space through the techniques and formats of the architectural exhibition

Academics

The Rice School of Architecture offers undergraduate and graduate programs, with various courses and resources available to students. The school is accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB).

Facets of the Program

The program includes various facets, such as:

• Preceptorship
• Paris
• Rice Building Workshop
• Thesis
• Research Platforms
• Global Workshops

Projects and Publications

Students and faculty engage in various projects, including studio work, thesis projects, and faculty work. The school also publishes faculty publications, the PLAT Journal, and Cite.