American Architecture and Urbanism

3 units

This seminar will focus on new ways of thinking about American architecture and urbanism in the 20th century. It is part of an effort to offer new conceptual frameworks to understand American architecture within its larger context of social, political, and urbanistic change. Unlike an architectural history survey course, it will not only focus on the canonical works of well-known designers such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Louis Kahn, but it will also situate architecture within the various new social, spatial, technological, and legislative directions that have shaped American metropolitan areas since then. Students will present selected readings and pursue individual research projects for this course.