ARCHITECTURAL STUDIES (interdisciplinary Major B.A.)
                   
    Coordinating Committee:        
    A. E. Ted Aub, Art, Program Chair        
    Michael Bogin, Art        
    Elena Ciletti, Art        
    Jo Anna lsaak, Art        
    Frederic Hauser, Architectural Studies        
    Clifton Hood, History        
    Marilyn Jimenez, Modern Languages        
    Stanley Mathews, Art and Architectural Studies        
    James Spates, Sociology        
    John Vaughn, Mathematics and Computer Science        
    Ali Yapicioglu, Architectural Studies        
                   
   

Architectural Studies at Hobart and William Smith Colleges offers a multi-disciplinary, holistic approach to design education embracing a liberal arts philosophy. Unlike the pre-professional training offered in many undergraduate professional degree programs, Architectural Studies at Hobart and William Smith Colleges is broad based, varied, flexible, and centered in the liberal arts. Students may, along with their advisor, tailor the major to suit their academic interests. Our program does not offer a professional degree (B. Arch.), but many of our majors continue on to complete a professional degree (M. Arch) at the graduate level. (Why study architecture at HWS?)

Students are encouraged to pursue study-abroad opportunities for one or two semesters during their junior or senior years. Courses offered on these programs can supplement or be substituted for program requirements.

The Colleges’ "in-house" programs have offered opportunities for study in New York, Los Angeles, Rome, and The Dominican Republic. Our primary outside program affiliation offers a study opportunity in Copenhagen through the Denmark International Study Program. Other available programs through leading universities offer study sites for architecture in New York/Paris, Florence, and Bath, England. Also available is a cooperative (3+4) joint degree program with Washington University in St. Louis, where students can earn both a B. A. (through HWS) and an M. Arch degree in a total of seven years.

There is no minor in Architectural Studies.

   
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
                   
    Architectural Studies Major Requirements:    
    Students must take at least 13 Major Requirements and Electives:    
                   
    Section 1: Required Major Courses    
    9 courses required from this group    
    Students are encouraged to take at least 6 of these courses in their first two years    
                   
    1. Required Prerequisite Courses: All three must be completed before students may enroll in Major Studio Courses. Students are advised to take these in the first and second years.      
    Art 115 Three Dimensional Design      
    Art 125 Introduction to Drawing      
    Art 116 World Architecture or Art 110 Visual Culture (with Prof. Mathews)      
                   
    2. Major Studio Prerequisite (may only be taken upon completion of Required Prerequisite Courses)      
    Arch 222 Design Studio I: Basic Architectural Principles (Prereq: Art 115, Art 125 + Art 116)      
                   
    3. Major Studio Requirement (at least one course)      
    Arch 301 Design Studio II: Architecture & the Immediate Environment (Prerequisite: Arch 222)      
    Arch 302 Design Studio II: Architecture and the Wider Environment (Prerequisite: Arch 222)      
                   
    4. Major Architectural History requirement (at least one course)      
    Arch 311 History of Modern, Architecture (Prerequisite: Art 116)      
    Arch 312 Theory of Modern Architecture and Urbanism (Prerequisite: Art 116)      
                   
    5. Major Requirement – History (at least one course)      
    History 102 The Making of the Modern World      
    History 103 Revolutionary Europe      
    Eust 102 European Studies II: Early Modern to Post Modern Europe      
                   
    6. Major requirement – Math (at least one course)      
    Math 130 Calculus I (placement test required - check with Math department)      
    Math 131 Calculus II (placement test required - check with Math department)      
                   
    7. Major requirement - Physics (at least one course)      
    Physics 140 Principles of Physics (recommended for architecture students)      
    Physics 150 Introductory Physics I (Prerequisite: Math 130 - may be taken concurrently)      
                   
                   
                   
    Section 2: Major Electives    
    3 courses required from this group:    
                   
    1. Major Electives – Art History (at least one course)      
    Art 202 Art and Architecture of Ancient Rome      
    Art 208 Greek and Roman Art and Architecture      
    Art 216 Medieval Monuments      
    Art 232 Rococo Art and Architecture      
    Art 253 Buddhist Art and Architecture      
    Art 235 Art and Architecture of Baroque Rome      
    Art 249 Islamic Art and Architecture      
    Art 340 Architecture to 1900 (Prerequisite: Art 116)      
    Art 341 Modernism in Crisis (Prerequisite: Art 340 or Arch 311)      
    Art 402 Seminar: Design after Modernism (Prerequisite: Art 340 or Arch 311)      
           
    2. Major Electives – Urban Studies (at least one course)      
    Anth 206 Early Cities      
  Anth 247 Urban Anthropology  
    Anth 326 Meso-American Urbanism      
    Bidis 229 Two Cities: New York and Toronto (Prerequisite: Soc 100)      
    History 215 American Urban History      
    History 264 Modern European City      
    Soc 251 Sociology of the City (Prerequisite: Soc 100)      
    Soc 253 World Cities (Prerequisite: Soc 100)      
                   
    3. Major Electives – Social Science (at least one course)      
    (NOTE: Soc 251 or Soc 253 will fulfill this requirement)      
    Anth  352 Builders and Seekers      
    Econ 213 Urban Economics (Prerequisite: Econ 160)      
    Econ 344 Economic Planning Development (Prerequisite: Econ 160)      
    Pol Sci 244 Urban Politics      
    Soc 271 Sociology of Environmental Issues (Prerequisite: Soc 100)      
    Soc 290 Sociology of Community (Prerequisite: Soc 100)      
           
           
           
    Section 3 – Other Electives      
    Electives which may be taken upon completion of the requirements and electives listed above.      
           
    Arch 400 Geneva Studio (Prerequisite: Arch 301 or Arch 302)      
    Arch 450 CAD (Note: this course does NOT count toward major)      
    Arch 450 Portfolio Design (Independent Study)      
    Alst 200 Ghettoscapes      
    Class 202 Athens in the Age of Pericles      
    Class 251 The Romans: Republic to Empire      
    Geo 190 Geoscience and Environment      
    Hist 256 Technology and Society      
    Phil 120 Critical Thinking      
    Phil 220 Semiotics      
    Phil 230 Aesthetics      
                   
                   
    Notes:              
   
  • Courses not on these lists may possibly be substituted with the approval of a member of the Architectural Studies Coordinating Committee
   
   
  • Course Prerequisites are indicated in parentheses after the course title.
   
   
  • Not all courses are offered every semester. Students must verify course offerings and availability.
   
         
       
         
    Declaration of Major worksheet: Download PDF form to be used when first declaring an Architectural Studies Major    
         
    Audit sheets for Majors : Download PDF form to be used on entering the Baccalaureate year to certify a plan for complete a major or minor. These forms become part of a student's permanent record.    
         
    Go To Architecture Course Descriptions:    
         
    Return to Architecture Program main page