History of World Architecture: Part I

This course is not only a history of architecture, but also a history through architecture. We will examine the history of architectural and urban design as a form of cultural expression unique to its time and place. Through readings and lectures, we will study the ways that the design, use, meaning and legacy of a building and its site was conditioned not only by the architect's will or the patron's desire, but also by a web of technological, religious, social, cultural, economic and political factors of the time. We will keep asking, "Why was this designed to be like that?” and we will keep discovering that there are a multitude of factors that explain the creation and evolution of the built environment. This course cuts a broad swath through time, geography and cultures, surveying critical episodes in the built environment from ancient times through the 19th century.