Note: For the complete list of classes available each term, please visit the UO Class Schedule.

Core Courses | Architectural History Courses | Focal Area Courses | Individualized Study Courses

Core Courses

This one-week field school offers hands-on preservation skills in site documentation, conservation practice, recording, and restoration as the focus of the course work. Students work alongside University of Oregon faculty members and regional professionals to preserve different sites in the Pacific Northwest.

Most of us accept that preservation will not take place in the private sector unless it makes economic sense. The objective of this course is to help preservation students understand why this is, as well as to arm them with the tools needed to find creative and profitable solutions for saving historic buildings. Offered every other year.

Provides a broad overview of the field of historic preservation for students interested in learning about the work of preserving historic resources. Topics covered include a brief history of preservation in America; the legal, administrative, and fiscal workings of the layered government partnerships; the roles of private and nonprofit preservationists; and the various occupational opportunities for preservationists. It will also cover the dating and categorization of historic buildings through examination of architectural styles and building materials.

Historic district designation acknowledges the scarcity and cultural worth of the buildings and sites, causing, in most cases, property values to rise, and allowing for modest tax incentives. The course offers an overview of the National Register of Historic Places process, various types of nominations, and instructions on preparing a registration form. Emphasis is placed on criteria, evaluation, historic context development, property recordation, and research strategies. Prerequisite: AAAP 511 Introduction to Historic Preservation.

Interprets the relationships between general public policy and historic preservation; investigates the conflicting values between preservation and environmentalism; and examines how best to position ourselves, as preservationists, in broader land-use policy debates and issues. Offered every other year.

Methodology for conducting reconnaissance and intensive surveys utilizing U.S. National Park Service standards. Students will identify and record distinctive features of historic resources. Course work includes completion of Oregon inventory forms, site plan drawing, photography, and research.

Introduces a range of research methodologies important to the field of historic preservation. Students develop their preliminary research proposals for their terminal research theses or projects.

Architectural History Courses

The American built environment is examined from the Colonial Era to present day. Marked changes in materials, technologies, and spatial usage are discussed. Stylistic development and building type analysis are addressed for preservation classification purposes, and the cultural, historical, and physical contexts within which various building forms existed are stressed in this series of courses.

Introduces students to the interpretation of house plans, reading the exteriors of buildings, and documenting vernacular change over time. Occasional offering.

Focal Area Courses

Explores sustainability and preservation issues surrounding the adaptive reuse and development of structures in urban landscapes in a studio environment. Offered occasionally.

This course explores the history and maintenance of masonry, metal, and other materials in historical building construction, including how they are manufactured and processed, how they have been used structurally and ornamentally, and how to properly preserve them. Offered every other year.

Designed on the premise that a fundamental understanding of material properties of wood and how and why it ages is essential for good preservation. By the end of the course, students should be able to identify major risks and the underlying causes of wood condition, extract historic information from wood fabric, and select the most sensible and sustainable treatment strategies in practice. Offered every other year.

The primary objective of the course is to develop a fundamental understanding and facility with basic graphic representation and documentation of the built environment. While focusing on the documentation of buildings using basic drawing skills and standard preservation practices, students expand their level of graphic literacy through a series of exercises and projects. Occasional offering.

Demonstrations and exercises teach technical drawing skills and issues related to building diagnostics. Course work may include production of drawings conforming to the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) and the Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) standards as outlined by the U.S. National Park Service. Occasional offering.

Intended as an introduction to the guiding principles of the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. Case studies and guest speakers discuss the various constraints and opportunities addressed in actual projects undertaken within Oregon. Offered occasionally.

A full-bodied investigation into the relationship between preservation and sustainability philosophies and methodologies. Students research how “green” is measured, understand what those measurements tend to value, and assess how they might affect historic preservation efforts. Teams of students are organized to apply the highest methods and goals of both fields to local buildings. Offered occasionally.

This course examines cultural landscapes: how we define them, how we develop a deeper understanding of them, how they are recognized and incorporated into the historic preservation and design fields, and methodologies for treating and managing their dynamic character. Understanding cultural landscapes bridges many disciplines including history, geography, ecology, landscape architecture, architecture, archaeology, and ethnography. 

Internship, Practicum, and Individualized Study Courses

This course is designed to acquaint students with researching and applying for internship opportunities. Students learn how their current academic learning experience can inform and enrich the onsite internship as well as the importance of researching, networking, negotiating, and creating strong application materials.

Upon returning from summer internships, students enroll in this seminar course in which they will develop an internship portfolio as well as a 10-minute professional presentation and informational poster synthesizing key elements of the internship learning experience. Students will present this information to historic preservation faculty members, students, and other members of the College of Design community.

The following generic course numbers cover required credits given through individualized study:

• AAAP 503 Thesis
• AAAP 601 Research
• AAAP 606 Special Problems
• AAAP 611 Terminal Project

Note: The content and direction of the individualized study course work must be approved—prior to registration—by the instructor who will supervise the work. Please see the historic preservation office coordinator for registration assistance.