Introduction to Architecture · Art History And Archaeology
One midterm, one final (eight IDs each building flashed on the screen for about 3 minutes each, two comparison, one short essay) and five drawings. The midterm and final are completed during a class period, so they aren't too consuming.
Weekly lecture readings (not required to perform well in class). 4 architectural terms/identification quizzes (gives you all the terms and building a week prior to quiz). Midterm and Final per usual.
every week has a differen theme, and every theme a BIG one--for so little instruction moji gives, it is way too demanding. no one ever finished a project in its entirety. everything looked really sloppy because no one had time nor the proper guidance to finish everything.
When you start this course, Benelli's accent will make it hard to understand, but that's probably mostly due to the fact that you're unfamiliar with the architecture terms so it all sounds foreign. Just pay attention and you will adapt quickly. The course is interesting. You learn a lot about Western architecture and it's nice to walk around the city, recognizing the different characteristics of the architectural styles used and knowing why the architects made those choices. He posts the power points for the class every morning on CourseWorks. You have to take good notes (I recommend typed) and attending the discussion sections (which are only about 5 for the semester) is EXTREMELY helpful, especially approaching exam times. The TAs relieve a lot of stress. My first exam I nearly failed, but through the TAs help for the final, I managed to get a B in the class overall.
Michael Waters is by far one of the best profs I've ever had at Columbia. He is able to make such minuscule architectural details so enticing and is able to engage his students with his interesting commentary. This class was multi-dimensional and never felt bland. The TAs also did a fantastic job in not necessarily reiterating lecture materials but really deconstructing key themes and ideas and making connections to the Columbia University architecture. Through this class, I was eager to take other architecture classes. Unfortunately, no other architecture professor has been able to replicate Water's enthusiasm and most importantly, his power points. If anything, every presenter should take notes from professor Waters- Professor Waters + power points= power couple. The workload is also very manageable and is a great class for students with little to no architectural background.
if you are trying to choose between harvard or columbia for summer school in architecture, forget columbia. taking a class with moji barataloo really puts everything in perspective so well--her incorrect use of all the buzzwords like "discourse" and "iterations" (havent we overcome all that postmodern bs?), her arrogance (she will take all opportunities to poo-poo you instantly without giving you much patience or explanation while doing the double-talk of "encouraging" and "pushing" you at the same time--in the end, most people end up with a charity grade of a "C+" no matter how hard you work), and her sheer lack of enthusiasm for aspiring students. at all costs, ask the director to swicth to a different class, or better yet, go to harvard. this person is a living reason why columbia remains substandard.
weekly drawings (not hard, not graded on "beauty" at all), midterm and final. no paper!
One of the best parts of the class is that the workload isn't intensive at all. 4 quizzes and 4 1-page response papers throughout the semester, 1 longer visual analysis paper, final. Field trips at cool locations every other week!
take it. even if you don't have to. it's super interesting and fun. there were a lot of slides for the midterm and final, but i think everyone did alright even though it was basically impossible to actually learn them all. the main thing thought is that benelli is a fantastic lecturer. he does have an accent, but you'll get used to it. and if you have questions he's happy to address them. the weekly drawings were a great break from sitting in the library like we have to do for most of our other courses. the discussion sections were great preps for the exams, but otherwise pretty boring.
Easily one of the best professors I have ever had. Introduction to Architecture is everything that an introductory level class should be and more, and Prof. Waters leads the class brilliantly. He is so well prepared and so intelligent. I voluntarily went to lecture every single time even though it wasn't necessarily because I wanted to hear what he had to say. Also, he is so prepared and his powerpoints blow everyone else out of the water. You really really have to take a class with him. This guy deserves a gold nugget for sure.