Word: urban
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...many teachers in our public schools, urban and suburban, who have deep knowledge of subject matter and of how to engage youngsters, most are in despair over the limits put on them by the mindless work demanded by these high-stakes tests. Many of those who are less well prepared for teaching use this diminished curriculum as a crutch. They do not seek further help, nor does anyone in a supervisory capacity offer help of any significant kind. Again, high-stakes tests prevent the development of high standards...
...also has an undeniably important role, from the psychological implications of space to the ecological impacts of different types of land use. I am not concerned with the so-called “methodology” the Core purports to incorporate; still, it is clear that an architecture and urban studies concentration would integrate and expose students to the vast range of disciplines the Core encompasses...
...what about Visual and Environmental Studies, the department that replaced Architectural Studies? This is not really the best option for students interested in architecture and urban studies. First, there are no studio courses that have any direct relation to architecture. Second, by concentrating in VES, one does not get appropriate exposure to the political and sociological aspects of the city—experiences essential to architecture and urban studies. To its credit, the VES department has recently been offering many more courses in conjunction with the GSD; however, the lack of studio courses has not been—and likely...
...thing an architecture and urban studies department would have going for it immediately is the GSD, currently considered the best, or one of the best, graduate schools for architecture and urban design in the country. The GSD has a wide variety of course offerings, many of which are currently available to undergraduates through cross-registration. Clearly, if an undergraduate program in architecture and urban studies existed, it would inevitably be connected in some form to the GSD. The best structure of that relationship would need to be strategically determined, but undergraduates would not necessarily be seen as a burden...
Harvard graduates go on to careers in architecture, community service, environmental planning, real estate development, urban design and public policy. Having an undergraduate concentration in architecture and urban studies would allow at least some of these graduates to gain knowledge directly applicable to their eventual career fields, albeit with a liberal arts focus. In the upcoming curricular review, I would urge administrators to look at the longstanding bias against pre-professionalism. Currently, Harvard confuses practical education with pre-professional education, stridently avoiding the latter at the expense of the former. Practical instruction should be allowed when it supplements the theoretical...