Description

This initiative aims to transform teaching and learning about the Canadian built environment across U of T campuses, divisions, and departments through the development of resources and partnerships allowing students to integrate the study of history with other disciplines through experiential learning. Working with cognate departments and supported through the Arts & Science Experiential Learning Outreach Support Office, courses and supporting programs offer students the opportunity to study the city of Toronto and the wider context of architecture and landscapes in Canada. Teaching the history of Canada’s buildings and landscapes requires an interdisciplinary approach that incorporates the history of land use, transportation and communication infrastructure, natural resource development, immigration, and urban planning. This project aims to establish undergraduate courses and allied resources on the history of Canada’s architectural environment by drawing on a range of intellectual approaches and engaging stakeholders within and beyond the University. The Department of Art History, by partnering with Geography, Canadian Studies, Indigenous Studies, Urban Studies, the Daniels Faculty of Architecture, and the School of Cities, will engage students across these units in a series of courses from first-year seminars, gateway courses and upper-level research seminars. Students at all levels will engage directly with projects based in the city of Toronto and with broader questions in Canada. Course offerings will be coordinated with experiential learning opportunities, allowing students to develop experience and professional contacts with groups and organizations in Toronto and beyond. Research seminars and an annual undergraduate conference will engage students and faculty from all partner programs, increasing inter-departmental and division communication and collaboration.