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This book examines the formative relationship between nineteenth century American school architecture and curriculum. While other studies have queried the intersections of school architecture and curriculum, they approach them without consideration for the ways in which their relationships are culturally formative-or how they reproduce or resist extant inequities in the United States. Da Silva addresses this gap in the school design archive with a cross-disciplinary approach, taking to task the cultural consequences of the relationship between these two primary elements of teaching and learning in a 'hotspot' of American education-the nineteenth century. Providing a historical and theoretical framework for practitioners and scholars in evaluating the politics of modern American school design, the book holds a mirror to the oft-criticized state of American education today.
List of contents
Chapter 1. Introduction.- Chapter 2. From Origin to Modernity: A Brief History of American School Design.- Chapter 3. Hotspot of Change: Case Studies in 19th Century Rhode Island.- Chapter 4. Structuring Sociality: School Design as Cultural (Re)production.- Chapter 5. Conclusion.
About the author
Joseph da Silva is an award winning educator and architect, who joined the Department of Mathematics, Science, and Engineering faculty at Bristol Community College, USA, in 2010 and is a founding member and President (2017) of the National Council on School Facilities, USA.
Summary
This book examines the formative relationship between nineteenth century American school architecture and curriculum. While other studies have queried the intersections of school architecture and curriculum, they approach them without consideration for the ways in which their relationships are culturally formative—or how they reproduce or resist extant inequities in the United States. Da Silva addresses this gap in the school design archive with a cross-disciplinary approach, taking to task the cultural consequences of the relationship between these two primary elements of teaching and learning in a ‘hotspot’ of American education—the nineteenth century. Providing a historical and theoretical framework for practitioners and scholars in evaluating the politics of modern American school design, the book holds a mirror to the oft-criticized state of American education today.
