HSCI-205: Theory of Structure

This course offers a survey of the role of structure as a foundation of successful design. As a practical concept, structure embraces many design parameters: form, function, cost, durability, and manufacturability. From a theoretical standpoint, however, understanding and predicting how these parameters interact requires knowledge of details from the disparate fields of physics, engineering, materials science, and history, among others. This course will explore these complex relationships by introducing definitions, methods, and analytical techniques complimented by a more historical perspective on the function of structure. Case studies in the lessons of structural failure will illustrate how cutting-edge design must, at times, balance on a knife's edge, and how such daring might be safely and dependably accomplished in the future.