4.9
stars
62 ratings

Arlette Hernandez +1 more instructor

7,602 already enrolled

Offered By

Reimagining Blackness and Architecture

The Museum of Modern Art

About this Course

4,226 recent views

Architecture structures our daily lives. It shapes our homes, streets, neighborhoods, cities and more. But who gets to create and occupy these spaces? In the United States, a long history of anti-Black racism has created spatial inequalities that are built into the physical environment and erased the stories of Black architects and communities. 
Reimagining Blackness and Architecture explores the relationship between architecture and Blackness as an identity and a lived experience. You’ll hear directly from Black artists, architects, scholars, and writers who reimagine their surroundings and highlight the ways Black makers have changed the world. You’ll see how architects are working to transform American cities into more equitable places using everything from textiles, hip hop, and fiction to spices and spaceships. And you’ll hear from an international range of artists, who create spaces for their communities and make visible the stories of Black life in their work.

The course is structured around five themes: Imagination, Care, Knowledge, Refusal, and Liberation. Each week, through original films, audio interviews, and readings, you’ll expand your understanding of architecture as a practice that reaches across time, place, and form. Creative activities and prompts for reflection will encourage you to consider your own role in shaping your communities.

Course image credit: 
Dawoud Bey. A Couple at a Main Street Bus Stop, Rochester, NY. 1989. Gelatin silver print, 11 7/16 × 22 1/16" (29.1 × 56 cm). The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Acquired through the generosity of Ruth Nordenbrook. © 2021 Dawoud Bey

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Beginner Level

This course is open to everyone. You do not need any prior knowledge of architecture, art, or history to complete this course successfully.

Approx. 14 hours to complete

English

Could your company benefit from training employees on in-demand skills?

Try Coursera for Business

What you will learn

Recognize how race and racism shape architecture and the built environment and the role we as individuals play in creating a just and equitable world
Explore work by Black architects and artists and discover how Black makers have shaped and reimagined the built environment
Find inspiration by learning about the ways Black makers have fashioned their own paths and advocated for better futures

Skills you will gain

Art
History
Architecture
anti-racism
Humanities

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Beginner Level

This course is open to everyone. You do not need any prior knowledge of architecture, art, or history to complete this course successfully.

Approx. 14 hours to complete

English

Could your company benefit from training employees on in-demand skills?

Try Coursera for Business

Instructors

Instructor rating

4.91/5 (32 Ratings)

Arlette Hernandez

Assistant Educator

Department of Learning and Engagement

7,602 Learners

1 Course

Sean Anderson

Associate Curator

Department of Architecture & Design

158,151 Learners

2 Courses

Offered by

The Museum of Modern Art

The Museum of Modern Art is a place that fuels creativity, ignites minds, and provides inspiration. Join us in exploring the art, ideas, and issues of our time through the Modern and Contemporary Art and Design Specialization or through individual courses: Modern Art & Ideas, Seeing Through Photographs, What Is Contemporary Art?, Fashion as Design, and In the Studio: Postwar Abstract Painting. Learn about teaching with art in our three courses designed for K-12 educators: Art & Inquiry, Art & Activity, and Art & Ideas.

See how employees at top companies are mastering in-demand skills

Learn more about Coursera for Business

Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Content Rating99%(1,203 ratings)

Week1

Week 1

3 hours to complete

Introduction

3 hours to complete

5 videos (Total 17 min), 13 readings, 1 quiz

5 videos

Trailer for Reimagining Blackness and Architecture59sCharles Davis on the expansive field of architecture4mAdrienne Brown on the Reconstruction era4mKara Walker on 40 Acres of Mules, 20152mDeana Lawson on Nation, 20172m

13 readings

Welcome to the course!10mGuide to Module 110mGetting started: How does this course work?10mInterview with Sean Anderson and Mabel Wilson10mAn artist confronts history10mThe Black Reconstruction Collective10mWhat is architecture?10mKey terms10mOptional readings and resources10mRecordings of virtual sessions (optional)10mGround rules for engagement10mOptional prompts for discussion, reflection, and creative response10mOptional pre-course survey10m

1 practice exercise

Module 1 Quiz30m

Week2

Week 2

2 hours to complete

Imagination

2 hours to complete

5 videos (Total 20 min), 8 readings, 1 quiz

5 videos

Walter J. Hood on Black Towers / Black Power5mGermane Barnes on A Spectrum of Blackness5mPope.L on The Black Factory Archive, 2003–ongoing1mMichelle Joan Wilkinson on representation and Black space4mGarrett Bradley and Donna Crump on America, 20194m

8 readings

Introduction to this week10mWalter Hood, Black Towers / Black Power10mGermane Barnes, A Spectrum of Blackness10mWhat is Blackness?10mNew ways of seeing10m Advice for emerging architects and creatives10mOptional readings and resources10mOptional prompts for discussion, reflection, and creative response10m

1 practice exercise

Module 2 Quiz30m

Week3

Week 3

2 hours to complete

Care

2 hours to complete

6 videos (Total 28 min), 8 readings, 1 quiz

6 videos

J. Yolande Daniels on Black City: The Los Angeles Edition6mSekou Cooke on We Outchea: Hip Hop Fabrications and Public Space5mAudrey Petty on High Rise Stories3mZora J Murff on the series At No Point in Between, 2018–198mBetye Saar on "Keep for Old Memiors", 19761mMaren Hassinger on Leaning, 19802m

8 readings

Introduction to this week10mJ. Yolande Daniels, Black City: The Los Angeles Edition 10mSekou Cooke, We Outchea: Hip Hop Fabrications and Public Space10mThe tender lenses of two photographers10mArtists repurposing objects and salvaging materials10mOptional readings and resources10mOptional prompts for discussion, reflection, and creative response10mOptional mid-course survey10m

1 practice exercise

Module 3 Quiz30m

Week4

Week 4

2 hours to complete

Knowledge

2 hours to complete

5 videos (Total 18 min), 9 readings, 1 quiz

5 videos

Amanda Williams on We’re Not Down There, We’re Over Here5mOlalekan Jeyifous on The Frozen Neighborhoods5mJacob Lawrence, The Migration Series, 1940–411mWillie Cole on Domestic ID III and IV, 1991–922mLorna Simpson on Wigs, 19943m

9 readings

Introduction to this week10mAmanda Williams, We’re Not Down There, We’re Over Here10mOlalekan Jeyifous, The Frozen Neighborhoods10mPortfolio: Bodys Isek Kingelez10mPortraits of yesterday10mThe magic of stories10mArtifacts for the future10mOptional readings and resources10mOptional prompts for discussion, reflection, and creative response10m

1 practice exercise

Module 4 Quiz30m

Reviews

4.9

10 reviews

5 stars
88.70%
4 stars
8.06%
3 stars
3.22%

TOP REVIEWS FROM REIMAGINING BLACKNESS AND ARCHITECTURE

by MGApr 20, 2021

The course designers did a great job including so much important information in six weeks.

by AWApr 12, 2021

Great content and good mix of readings and videos. Made me aware of so many artists and architects and activists that I had never heard of before.

by AAMar 30, 2021

This course was better than I ever imagined. Truly appreciative that I had the opportunity to learn about architecture and art from a whole new perspective. Loved every second.

by KKApr 26, 2021

An engaging, well-paced, critical course. Would recommend to all architects.

View all reviews

Frequently Asked Questions

When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:
The course may not offer an audit option. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid.
The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
What will I get if I purchase the Certificate?
When you purchase a Certificate you get access to all course materials, including graded assignments. Upon completing the course, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
What is the refund policy?
You will be eligible for a full refund until two weeks after your payment date, or (for courses that have just launched) until two weeks after the first session of the course begins, whichever is later. You cannot receive a refund once you’ve earned a Course Certificate, even if you complete the course within the two-week refund period. See our full refund policy.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.

More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.

Build employee skills, drive business results

Discover Coursera for Business

Reimagining Blackness and Architecture

Reimagining Blackness and Architecture

About this Course

What you will learn

Skills you will gain