ARC3301 
Instructor: Anthony K. Wako

The twentieth century was marked by dramatic geo-political shifts, most notably in the independence of nations across sub-Saharan Africa following the Second World War. While extensive exploration of the sociological impacts of these changes is seen, little attention has been paid to the emergence of new architecture and urbanism as a result of these shifts. This history and theory elective course will explore how architecture and urbanism emerged from these changed conditions. The course will explore the developments through the evaluation of texts and works of architecture, explored through three elements, ‘people’, ‘place’ and ‘stuff’. 

This exploration will be geared to derive an indication of the use of architecture and urbanism in the transformation of elected cities across the region. Formal and theoretical developments are placed in a coherent historical framework through which further spatial and cultural dimensions may be better understood. The course will go beyond the basic review of history and theory and will seek to develop critical and analytical skills that will enable students to understand the main contributions to discourse of the 20th century Sub-Saharan Africa.