Medieval Architecture

(4 Credits)

Surveys the architecture of the Middle Ages in Western Europe with emphasis on the period from ca. 1000–1500 C.E., from the emergence of the Romanesque to the late Gothic period. Examines monumental religious and secular projects, such as the soaring cathedral of Amiens and the civic palaces of communal Italy, from stylistic, technical, functional, iconographic, and ideological perspectives. Topics include regionalism, patronage, the status of the "architect," and the concept of the multimedia ensemble. Also situates buildings within their social, religious, and political contexts and examines the advantages and shortcomings of different approaches to the study of medieval architecture.