Graduate and undergraduate  

 

This is an introductory course that studies the buildings, events, texts, and practices that shaped the built environment over two semesters. We engage with the central idea that buildings do not exist in isolation. They exist as part of global processes that include colonialism, imperialism, nationalism, industrialization, and urbanization. We look at how specific political, social, and economic contexts defined architecture, landscape, and urbanism and how they, in turn, impacted their contexts. The semester is divided by several thematic cuts that encourage an appreciation for the differences, similarities, and interdependencies across cultures, time, and space. It will be crucial for the course to move away from entrenched nation-state constructions and historiographic categories for a more global perspective. Course lectures, exams, writing assignments, and the sections/labs will convey the idea that buildings, landscapes, texts, and practices are interconnected parts of the History of the built environment.