ARCH 6213 - Intensive Survey of Architectural History

This graduate course provides an intensive introduction to the history of key architectural sites across the world from the ancient settlements of Africa, Asia, and the Middle East to the uneven urban development in Europe and the Americas during the Quattrocento and on to the present day. Examples reflect on the interface of oral and religion-centered worlds with the printing press, principles of humanism, and Islamic and European colonialism. The goal is to provide an insight into the roles that buildings have played in shaping human interactions and encourage students to translate this knowledge into subtle strategies for studio design and engagement with historical sites. It will give participants the knowledge necessary to read historic buildings. It will teach them how to critique historical texts, and pose alternative readings of canonical buildings. This is a writing, reading, and comprehension intensive course and aims to provide training in all three areas.