PGHT
5035

Space, Time, and the South African City

Parsons School of Design: Sch. Art and Dsgn Hist and Th

Liberal Arts
Undergraduate Course
Graduate Course
Degree Students
Space, Time & S. African City
Fall 2025
Taught By: Denise Lim
Section: A

CRN: 18269

Credits: 3

This seminar aims to explore how socially-constructed notions of space, time, and the city inform contemporary urban design and creative practice in South Africa. By exploring a rich collection of cultural artifacts spanning architecture, archaeology, film, photography, and visual art, students will learn what South African material and visual culture teaches us about past, present, and future African stories. Readings in postcolonial and decolonial theory will be used to challenge concepts of how space and time have been theorized in major disciplines throughout the social sciences and humanities. The physicist concept of “spacetime” will serve as a conceptual starting point to explore how South Africa’s colonial and apartheid legacies have been visually and materially inscribed into South Africa’s built environment. Students are encouraged to explore African-centered concepts of spacetime that practically decolonize and rehabilitate marginalized histories for the country's diverse communities of color.

Open to: All university graduate degree students.
Prerequisites: No Prerequisites
Co-Requisites: No Co-requisites

College: Parsons School of Design (PS)

Department: Sch. Art and Dsgn Hist and Th (ADHT)

Campus: New York City (GV)

Course Format: Seminar (R)

Modality: In-Person

Max Enrollment: 15

Repeat Limit: 2

Add/Drop Deadline: September 9, 2025 (Tuesday)

Online Withdrawal Deadline: November 17, 2025 (Monday)

Seats Available: Yes

* Seats available but reserved for a specific population.

Status: Waitlist*

* Status information is updated every few minutes. The status of this course may have changed since the last update. Open seats may have restrictions that will prevent some students from registering. Updated: 10:14pm EDT 4/1/2025

Meeting Info:
Days: Thursday
Times: 4:00pm - 5:50pm
Building: TBD
Room: TBD
Date Range: 8/27/2025 - 12/15/2025