Graduate Courses for Landscape Architecture (LARC)
Schedule of Classes:
Fall |
Winter |
Spring |
Summer
(Only current and next semester available)
LARC 420 Professional Practice (3 credits)
Prerequisite: LARC321. For LARC majors only.
An introduction to and comparative study of the professional concerns of
design firms. Focus on planning, legal, ethical, marketing and
management considerations of interdisciplinary practices.
LARC 440 Urban Studio Design (5 credits)
Two hours of lecture and six hours of laboratory per week.
Prerequisites: LARC321, LARC340, and LARC341. For LARC majors only.
The landscape architect's role within the interdisciplinary urban
design process, focusing on urban site design issues. Pedestrian
friendly site design and the future of sustainable development will be
studied.
LARC 450 Environmental Resources (3 credits)
Prerequisite: ENST200 or permission of department.
A review of ecosystems and an examination of planning strategies for
preservation, conservation, management and development of sensitive
natural and cultural landscape resources in the mid-Atlantic region.
LARC 451 Sustainable Communities (3 credits)
Explores concepts, strategies and examples of community design which
address the needs of a growing population while preserving the
environment and its resources.
LARC 460 Landscape and Identity: Placemaking Across World Cultures (3 credits)
Prerequisite: LARC240 or permission of department. Junior standing. Not
open to students who have completed LARC489P. Credit will be granted for
only one of the following: LARC460 or LARC489P. Formerly LARC489P.
A cross cultural experience that emphasizes the integration of cultural
diversity, individual identity and placemaking skills introduced through
the landscape architecture curriculum. Explores the landscape as
intimately connected to their individual selves and to the collective
sense of community. Examines how the mixture of social-cultural systems,
on a global scale, impacts the way we shape our built environment.
Investigates these phenomena theoretically and analytically through team
and individual projects, lectures, films, discussions and presentations.
LARC 470 Landscape Architecture Seminar (3 credits)
Two hours of lecture and one hour of discussion/recitation per week.
Prerequisites: LARC321 and LARC341. Corequisite: LARC440. Senior
standing. For LARC majors only.
A combination of self-directed study, seminar, and lecture formats. An
introduction to aspects of research methods, critical analysis, and
proposal writing with a focus on urban and community design.
LARC 471 Capstone Studio: Community Design (5 credits)
Two hours of lecture and six hours of laboratory per week.
Prerequisites: LARC440 and LARC470. Senior standing. For LARC majors
only.
A capstone experience that emphasizes the integration of critical
thinking skills and methodologies introduced throughout the landscape
architecture curriculum. Students apply design and analysis
methodologies, evaluate alternative solutions, involve community
residents and engage in final design development, using the master plan
and site design process, report writing, and oral and graphic
presentations. Final presentations are open to the university and the
community.
LARC 489 Special Topics in Landscape Architecture (1-4 credits)
Prerequisite: permission of department. Repeatable to 4 credits if
content differs.
Credit according to time scheduled and organization of course. A
lecture and/or studio course organized as an in-depth study of a
selected specialization of landscape architecture not covered by
existing courses.
LARC 499 Independent Studies in Landscape Architecture (1-4 credits)
Prerequisite: 12 credits in LARC or permission of department. For LARC
and NRSC majors only. Repeatable to 4 credits if content differs.
Independent studies in landscape architecture including field, studio or
library research under the direction of a faculty member.
LARC 620 Graphic Tools for Landscape Representation (3 credits)
Two hours of lecture and two hours of laboratory per week. Prerequisite:
permission of department. Corequisite: LARC640.
This course integrates digital amd analog methods of communication and
provides an introduction to computer tools and techniques commonly used
in landscape architecture practice. Non-drafting computer tools will be
used to orient basic digital image capture, manipulation, and
presentation formatting. Also includes techniques and application of
various media for graphic communication associated with landscape
architecture.
LARC 621 Digital Drafting and Mapping (3 credits)
Two hours of lecture and two hours of laboratory per week. Prerequisite:
LARC620 or permission of department.
The development and application of computing tools as used by the
landscape architecture profession. Computer-Aided Design and Drafting
(CADD) develops computer drafting skills using a variety of software
programs. It also introduces students to Geographic Information Systems
(GIS) mapping technologies, computational representations and modeling
of landscape processes and solution methods for problems involving the
special arrangement of land use activities.
LARC 640 Graduate Studio I (5 credits)
Two hours of lecture and six hours of laboratory per week. Prerequisite:
permission of department. Corequisite: LARC620.
Principles and techniques of design as applied to shaping the landscape;
developing concepts in visual thinking, environmental awareness, and
design intervention through studio exercises and projects.
LARC 641 Graduate Studio II (5 credits)
Two hours of lecture and six hours of laboratory per week. Prerequisite:
LARC640 and permission of department. Corequisite: LARC720.
Principles and techniques of site analysis, environmental design and
site development for human settlements and interaction with natural
systems. Will expand analytical skills through complex site design
problems. Students will research, observe and apply low impact
development and sustainable practices, become familiar with building and
landscape types by investigating alternative arrangements on the land,
and understand user needs and design for populations with a range of
abilities. Will support LEED and sustainable practices and acknowledge
the requirements of public health, safety, and welfare.
LARC 642 Graduate Studio III (5 credits)
Two hours of lecture and six hours of laboratory per week. Prerequisite:
LARC641 and permission of department. Corequisite: LARC670.
A focus on the interaction of landscape science (hydrology, geology,
etc.) with the necessities and mechanisms of human settlements
(transportation, economics, etc.) emphasizing innovative and forward
thinking solutions to urbanization and ecological problems. It will
apply this knowledge to landscape analysis, recreational planning and
design, and community development, emphasizing resource management,
spatial organization, landscape character, and the physical and social
structure of community services. This course will be required for both
Trach 1 and Track 2 students.
LARC 648 Graduate Studio IV (5 credits)
Two hours of lecture and six hours of laboratory per week. Prerequisite:
LARC642, LARC721 and permission of department. Repeatable to 6 credits
if content differs.
An exploration that will focus on issues in landscape planning and
design such as campus planning, urban housing and recreation, and
neighborhood preservation, restoration and development. Projects will
emphasize the value of responsible academic and civic landscapes, the
place of historic resources in contemporary life, and innovative
solutions for the integration of past and future landscapes.
LARC 660 Landscape and Identity: Placemaking Across World Cultures (3 credits)
One hour of lecture and two hours of discussion/recitation per week.
Prerequisite: permission of department.
Comparing and constrasting the Eurocentric view of landscape with
various other cultural perspectives that offer alternative narratives
of landscape and identity. The examination of cultural perspectives will
parallel an ongoing exploration of how landscape can inform questions
about the personal and social implications in an era globalization.
LARC 663 Landscape and Garden History (3 credits)
One hour of lecture and two hours of discussion/recitation per week.
Prerequisite: permission of department.
History of garden making and its evolution into design practice.
Students will become familiar with narratives of garden art and
landscape architecture through the study of selected key sites,
designers, and visual written sources. A focus on gardens' past and
afterlife; the nature of primary sources (both built and written), and
how these can be evaluated and used. Primary sources will be drawn from
several disciplines and include a wide array of genres: treatises,
epistolary exchanges, tax returns, novels, poems, paintings and
drawings.
LARC 670 Landscape Architecture Theory and Criticism (3 credits)
Prerequisite: permission of department.
Review and analysis of the body of literature concerning landscape
architecture and relationships between humans and both natural and
designed environments. Topics may include: rationalism, ethics,
aesthetics, social and economic values, postmodernism, feminist,
multiculturalism, ecological determinism, preservation/conservation,
and sustainability and ecological design. Each week students will lead
a debate and discussion on a theoretical issue based on the assigned
readings for that week.
LARC 671 Landscape Architecture Research Methods (3 credits)
Prerequisite: permission of department.
Investigation and discussion of broad scope of research methods and the
development of landscape design and planning research techniques and
skills. The urban environment will be viewed primarily as a social and
psychological environment, with concern for who uses these environments
and the conflicts that can arise between user groups.
LARC 720 Environmental Analysis and Site Engineering (3 credits)
Two hours of lecture and two hours of laboratory per week. Prerequisite:
LARC640 or permission of department.. Corequisite: LARC641.
Techniques for prediction of alterations in social and natural processes
brought about by human use of the land; application of such assessments
to environmental management; basic methods of landscape alteration,
augmentation, and control including grading, drainage, road and trail
design, and stormwater management.
LARC 721 Landscape Construction Methods and Materials (3 credits)
Two hours of lecture and two hours of laboratory per week. Prerequisite:
LARC720 and permission of department.
Basic methods of constructing landscapes and manipulatiing the
appropriate plant and inorganicc materials for the creation of
ecologically sustainable environments for human use. An examination of
the use, properties, and detailing of materials used in landscape
construction.
LARC 748 Advanced Special Topics Studio (6 credits)
Two hours of lecture and eight hours of laboratory per week.
Prerequisite: LARC648,LARC671 and permission of department. Repeatable
to 12 credits if content differs.
Advanced special topics comprehensive landscape architecture
studio-exploration will focus on cultural, behavioral and ecological
issues in the physical planning and design of urban landscapes.
LARC 799 Master's Thesis Research (1-6 credits)
Two hours of lecture and eight hours of laboratory per week.
Prerequisite: LARC748 and permission of department. Repeatable to 12
credits if content differs.
Development of a terminal thesis on a problem in landscape
architecture, designed to demonstrate comprehensive skills and knowledge
achieved in the graduate program. The subject will be selected in
consultation with an advisor and periodically reviewed with a committee
headed by the advisor.
