I've noticed that many authors discuss "building" their novels using scenes as the fundamental building block. Be it by software or notecard, the scenes are identified, arranged and written, then chapter divisions made. From what I have read, it appears to be the accepted method of novel writing these days. Does anyone know when (and where) it first started to be used?
The reason I ask is that 25+ years ago I received my undergraduate degree in Creative Writing and although I had a number of courses in fiction writing, I can't recall ever even hearing about scenes in writing. Nor were they mentioned in my literature courses. Is it something relatively new or were my undergraduate studies subpar?