In an effort to grasp the relationship of architecture to the systems that both support and are supported by it, this course will introduce you to a history of architecture that is distinct from a history of architects. We will not center on architectural authors, movements, or periods, as in traditional architectural history courses; we will not be occupied with “historicizing,” “theorizing,” or otherwise “contextualizing ”architectural masterworks, as in traditional architectural history courses; and we will not produce precedents for use in the design studio, as in traditional architectural history courses. Instead, our focus will be placed on the ways in which architecture has mediated struggles overland, labor, capital, and materials. In so doing, you will be introduced to architecture within the historical processes that have shaped modern and contemporary life worlds
Approved for the ARCH minor.
