In general terms, the laboratories guide the students to the research of historical sources (graphic or textual, material, bibliographical and/or archival), to their analysis and interpretation, to their discussion and finally to the restitution of the research carried out through tools such as writing or graphic analysis. Through an in-depth experience conducted on specific case studies, each laboratory aims to provide students with the critical and methodological skills necessary to conduct an autonomous and conscious study and research project. The laboratories also aim to strengthen students' critical skills with regard to some central themes of contemporary historiographical debate. More specifically, the laboratory History of architecture and cities Lab B will allow the student to gain an appropriate methodology and terminology, using the most important concepts and approaches of the historic disciplines in an updated and critical way, in a wide diachronic range. At the end of the laboratory, students will be able to use in operational terms the critical knowledge that they have gained. In particular, they should: • Identify the formal and functional characters of a historic urban structure; • Acquire the ability to read, interpret and set up historical analysis of the city by recognizing the historical characters of a city development; • Identify the range of documentation available at different periods, organize and use relatively large amounts of information and reflect critically on knowledge and understanding as presented in specific literature; • Recognise the historical context of main urban transformation processes considering social and economic questions, debate and concept on urban history and link them to the notion of cultural heritage; • Elaborate critical texts and graphic processing able to foster strategies of development, protection and diffusion of the architectural heritage; • Exercise the use knowledge, skills and personal, social and methodological abilities in the architect's professional work or in study situations such as provided for the degree course in accordance with the Dublin descriptors.

lt is recommended that the student has passed the History of Contemporary Architecture exam (1 st year) and attended the History of Modem Architecture exam (2nd year).

Under the title "Narrating the historical cities: urban heritage and cultural tourism from historical sources to media tale" the 2021/22 edition of the History of Architecture and Cities Lab B will introduce the students to the various ways through which histories of architecture and cities are constructed and disseminated. The theme of the laboratory is the narration-representation of the historic city, a topic that has crossed history with very different means, interpretations and outcomes: the travel stories of Arab and Western cities in the Middle Ages, the drawn tables and the iconography of the great illustrated atlases of the Modern Age, up to photography and cinema that witness the twentieth-century transformations of the immense urban suburbs and of the depopulated historical centres. Stories and cultural heritage of ancient European and international cities will serve as an experimental testing ground for a critical observation of the methodological challenges behind the daily practices of historical research. Students will deal with ancient historical cities with relevant stratifications from different phases, focusing on the main methodologies of analysis (for urban spaces and architectures), as well as written and iconographic sources from different historical ages: late Middle age, Modem and Contemporary Age.

The laboratory will guide students through a plurality of exercises aimed at developing specific skills: bibliographic research; identification and critical use of primary sources; critical readings of key texts; paper writing exercises; visual analysis of cities; individual and group presentations; collective discussions; etc. Each of the teaching modules will be subject to specific forms of revision and will contribute to the formation of the overall evaluation.

IMPORTANT NOTE: At the time of writing, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic makes it difficult to predict to what extent the course will be held through direct interaction in the classroom or through a plurality of remote teaching instruments. The organization of the course might be subject to change in response to such variables. A detailed program of course activities will be provided at the beginning of the semester. The laboratory (60 hrs) will alternate between: - ex-cathedra lessons and lectures on specific topics by teachers and international speakers (20 hrs); - specific exercises to be conducted either in small groups or individually (25 hrs); - collective discussions on some issues of common relevance (15 hrs). Lessons will be focused on theoretical-practical explanations of the main sources of historical research and based on the three main topics of the Lab. Workshop (exercises+collective discussions) deal the methodologies outlined and exemplified step by step will be tried out through student-led researches on a chosen city. Students will carry on a historical research in small teams (2-3 students). They will have to produce a research paper (written step by step, with mandatory deadlines), a final project, and present the results of the critical and analytical work carried out during the workshop. Next to the work, a large amount of time will be spent on audits with the teachers. The Lab is based on three main topics, which will be transversal to the ex-cattedra lessons, and exercises carried out, and should form the leitmotif of the final project required of the students: a) "Themes and keywords": documentary and iconographic sources, historical analysis for interpreting the historical city. An exploration of some of the research trends and questions that are explored by urban history research. This part will be based upon the reading of a number of texts and their public discussion. Students will be required to read a specific work published in the field, to deconstruct its sources and research methods, and to discuss these issues in a written analysis (exercise 1). b) "Histories": a critical analysis of some recent examples of research on the city history. Discussing different kind of analysis devoted to the understanding of the historical settlements. c) "Publics": an exploration into the public histories of cities, that is, into the narratives created far telling stories about cities to a broad, non-specialized publics, for example in museums or as part European and UNESCO cultural itineraries and through various media. Students will be asked to observe a number of recent experiences in the field and to imagine a public history strategy for a given object (final project). A special focus of the Lab will be on European Cultural Routes and UNESCO Cultural Routes as a tangible and intangible dimension of historic urban heritage

An introductory bibliography is established as follows; the knowledge of only some parts specifically indicated for the students will be required. The basic material (in the form of handouts and collections of documents) both for the lessons and exercises will be available, through the course web portal. A more detailed reference bibliography will be provided at the beginning of the semester. - Francesco Bandarin and Ron Van Oers, "The historic urban landscape. Managing heritage in an urban century", Wiley-Backwell, Chichester 2012, pp. 1-73. - Peter Clark, "The Oxford Handbook of Cities in World History", Oxford University Press, Oxford 2013. - Shane Ewen, "What is Urban History?", Cambridge, Polity Press, 2016. - Andrew Leach, "What is Architectural History?", Cambridge, Polity Press, 2010. - Lewis Mumford, "The City in History: Its Origins, Its Transformations, and Its Prospects", Mariner Books, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (1961) 1968. Some chapters in particular will be indicated.

Exam: Compulsory oral exam; Individual graphic design project; Group graphic design project; Individual essay; Group essay;

The final exam will consist of an oral interview, with an individual evaluation on a 30-point scale. The oral exam will last 25-30 minutes. Students carry out the exam individually even if working within a group. The final evaluation will be composed by four different assessments related to four different aspects contributing to the composition of the final mark. They concern: a) the evaluation will be carried out continuously over the course of the semester and will be based on the outcome of all the activities carried out during the workshop, as well as the student's ability to participate in discussions and to communicate (15%); b) first assigned exercise (30%); c) the final project (drawings and report) (40%); d) the general part of the course (ex-cattedra lessons) will be the subject of a specific exam question. The student will be asked to use correct terminology and a critical approach, within the frame of up to date historiography (15%).

In addition to the message sent by the online system, students with disabilities or Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) are invited to directly inform the professor in charge of the course about the special arrangements for the exam that have been agreed with the Special Needs Unit. The professor has to be informed at least one week before the beginning of the examination session in order to provide students with the most suitable arrangements for each specific type of exam.

Exam: Compulsory oral exam; Individual graphic design project; Group graphic design project; Individual essay; Group essay;

The final exam will consist of an oral interview, with an individual evaluation on a 30-point scale. The oral exam will last 25-30 minutes. Students carry out the exam individually even if working within a group. The final evaluation will be composed by four different assessments related to four different aspects contributing to the composition of the final mark. They concern: a) the evaluation will be carried out continuously over the course of the semester and will be based on the outcome of all the activities carried out during the workshop, as well as the student's ability to participate in discussions and to communicate (15%); b) first assigned exercise (30%); c) the final project (drawings and report) (40%); d) the general part of the course (ex-cattedra lessons) will be the subject of a specific exam question. The student will be asked to use correct terminology and a critical approach, within the frame of up to date historiography (15%).

Exam: Compulsory oral exam; Individual graphic design project; Group graphic design project; Individual essay; Individual project;

The final exam will consist of an oral interview, with an individual evaluation on a 30-point scale. The oral exam will last 25-30 minutes. Students carry out the exam individually even if working within a group. The final evaluation will be composed by four different assessments related to four different aspects contributing to the composition of the final mark. They concern: a) the evaluation will be carried out continuously over the course of the semester and will be based on the outcome of all the activities carried out during the workshop, as well as the student's ability to participate in discussions and to communicate (15%); b) first assigned exercise (30%); c) the final project (drawings and report) (40%); d) the general part of the course (ex-cattedra lessons) will be the subject of a specific exam question. The student will be asked to use correct terminology and a critical approach, within the frame of up to date historiography (15%).