END 529LEC - Documentation and Field Methods in Historic Preservation

Historic Preservation is not just about old buildings. It is the study of, and engagement with, the material fabric of our cultural past with the stories and history of people in place. This study and engagement requires a skill-set to document the physical place; the histories, and the stories. This course introduces students to the basic guidelines; standards; research methods, and documentation techniques used in historic preservation to identify and record historic structures and sites, and the historic context of people in place. The kinds of research techniques explored in this course include the development of site descriptions; creating historical narratives or both building and the people who lived in these buildings; reviewing existing scholarly and/or professional literature; collecting primary and secondary data; developing skills in architectural photography, and understanding the basics of documenting and analyzing historic material fabric and historic contexts. The course makes use of lectures; discussions, and fieldwork (as a class and individually) to introduce students to the various ways in which preservationists document historic sites and resources.

Credits: 3