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Course 4: Architecture |
 | | | Architecture Design | | | Architecture Studies | | | Art, Culture and Technology | | | Building Technology | | | Computation | | | History, Theory and Criticism of Architecture and Art | | | Thesis and UROP | | |  |
History, Theory and Criticism of Architecture and Art4.601 Introduction to Art History
  ( ) 
Prereq: None Units: 4-0-8 
Introduction to the history and interpretation of western art in a global context that explores painting, graphic arts and sculpture from the 15th century to the present. Engages diverse methodological perspectives to examine changing conceptions of art and the artist, and to investigate the plural meaning of artworks within the larger contexts of culture and history. Staff 4.602 Modern Art and Mass Culture
( ) 
(Subject meets with 4.652) Prereq: None Units: 4-0-8  Lecture: MW9.30-11 (3-133) Recitation: W12 (5-216) or F1 (5-216)
Introduction to theories of modernism and postmodernism and their related forms (roughly 18th century to present) in art and design. Focuses on how artists use the tension between fine art and mass culture to critique both. Examines visual art in a range of genres, from painting to design objects and "relational aesthetics." Works of art are viewed in their interaction with advertising, caricature, comics, graffiti, television, fashion, "primitive" art, propaganda, and networks on the internet. Additional work required of students taking graduate version. C. Jones No required or recommended textbooks 4.603 Understanding Modern Architecture
()
(Subject meets with 4.604) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9 Lecture: TR11-12.30 (1-150)
Examines modern architecture, art, and design in the context of the political, economic, aesthetic, and cultural changes that occurred in the twentieth century. Presents foundational debates about social and technological aspects of modern architecture and the continuation of those debates into contemporary architecture. Incorporates varied techniques of historical and theoretical analysis to interpret exemplary objects, buildings, and cities of modernity. Additional work required of students taking the graduate version. Preference to Course 4 majors and minors. T. Hyde No required or recommended textbooks 4.604 Understanding Modern Architecture
 ()
(Subject meets with 4.603) Prereq: Permission of instructor Units arranged Lecture: TR11-12.30 (1-150)
Examines modern architecture, art, and design in the context of the political, economic, aesthetic, and cultural changes that occurred in the twentieth century. Presents foundational debates about social and technological aspects of modern architecture and the continuation of those debates into contemporary architecture. Incorporates varied techniques of historical and theoretical analysis to interpret exemplary objects, buildings, and cities of modernity. Additional work required of students taking the graduate version. Preference to Course 4 majors. Staff No required or recommended textbooks 4.605 A Global History of Architecture
()
(Subject meets with 4.650) Prereq: None Units: 4-0-8
Provides an outline of the history of architecture and urbanism from ancient times to the early modern period. Analyzes buildings as the products of culture and in relation to the special problems of architectural design. Stresses the geopolitical context of buildings and in the process familiarizes students with buildings, sites and cities from around the world. Additional work required of graduate students. Staff 4.607 Thinking About Architecture: In History and At Present
 ()
Prereq: 4.645 or permission of instructor Units arranged Lecture: M2-5 (5-232)
Studies the interrelationship of theory, history, and practice. Looks at theory not as specialized discourse relating only to architecture, but as touching on many issues, whether they be cultural, aesthetic, philosophical, or professional. Topics and examples are chosen from a wide range of materials, from classical antiquity to today. M. Jarzombek No required or recommended textbooks 4.608 Seminar in the History of Art, Architecture, and Design
()
(Subject meets with 4.609) Prereq: Permission of instructor Units arranged
Examination of historical method in art, design, and/or architecture, focusing on periods and problems determined by the research interest of the faculty member leading the seminar. Emphasizes critical reading and viewing and direct tutorial guidance. Additional work required of students taking the graduate version. Limited to 15. Staff 4.609 Seminar in the History of Art, Architecture, and Design
()
(Subject meets with 4.608) Prereq: Permission of instructor Units: 3-0-9
Examination of historical method in art, design, and/or architecture, focusing on periods and problems determined by the research interest of the faculty member leading the seminar. Emphasizes critical reading and viewing and direct tutorial guidance. Additional work required of students taking the graduate version. Limited to 15. Staff 4.612 Islamic Architecture and the Environment
()
Prereq: Permission of instructor Units arranged
Studies how Islamic architecture, landscape architecture, and urban planning reflect and transform environmental processes in various regions and climates of the Islamic world, from Andalusia to Southeast Asia, with an emphasis on South Asia, Central Asia, and the Middle East. Using systematic approaches to environmental data collection and analysis, examines strategies behind the design of selected architectural elements and landscape design types, ranging in scale from the fountain to the garden, courtyard, city, and agrarian region. Critically explores cultural interpretations of Islamic environmental design (e.g., paradise gardens), as they developed over time in ways that enrich, modify, or obscure their historical significance. Staff 4.614 Building Islam
()
Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9 Lecture: TR11-12.30 (5-216)
Examines the history of Islamic architecture and culture spanning fifteen centuries on three continents - Asia, Africa, Europe. Students study a number of representative examples, from the 7th century House of the Prophet to the current high-rises of Dubai, in conjunction with their urban, social, political, and intellectual environments at the time of their construction. Limited to 15. N. Rabbat No required or recommended textbooks 4.616 Culture and Architecture
()
Prereq: Permission of instructor Units arranged
Seminar on how culture interacts with architecture. Analyzes architecture as a conveyor of messages that transcend stylistic, formal, and iconographic concerns to include an assessment of disciplinary, political, ideological, social, and cultural factors. Critically reviews methodologies and theoretical premises of studies on culture and meaning. Focuses on examples from Islamic history and establishes historical and theoretical frameworks for investigation. Limited to 16. Staff 4.617 Advanced Study in Islamic Urban History
()
Prereq: Permission of instructor Units arranged
Seminar on selected topics from the history of Islamic urbanism. Examines patterns of settlement, urbanization, development, and architectural production in various places and periods, ranging from the formative period in the 7th century to the new cities emerging today. Discusses the leading factors in shaping and transforming urban forms, design imperatives, cultural and economic structures, and social and civic attitudes. Critically analyzes the body of literature on Islamic urbanism. Research paper required. Staff 4.619 Historiography of Islamic Art and Architecture
()
Prereq: Permission of instructor Units: 3-0-9 Lecture: R2-5 (5-216)
Critical review of literature on Islamic art and architecture in the last two centuries. Analyzes the cultural, disciplinary, and theoretical contours of the field and highlights the major figures that have influenced its evolution. Challenges the tacit assumptions and biases of standard studies of Islamic art and architecture and addresses historiographic and critical questions concerning how knowledge of a field is defined, produced, and reproduced. Limited to 12. Consult N. Rabbat No textbook information available 4.621 Orientalism, Colonialism, and Representation
()
Prereq: Permission of instructor Units arranged
Seminar on the politics of representation with special focus on Orientalist traditions in architecture, art, literature, and scholarship. Critically analyzes pivotal texts, projects, and artworks that reflected the encounters between the West and the Orient from Antiquity to the present. Discusses how political, ideological, and religious attitudes informed the construction and reproduction of Western knowledge about the Islamic world as well as revisionist Eastern self-representations. Research paper required. Limited to 16. Staff 4.624 Dwelling & Building: Cities in the Global South
()
Prereq: None Units arranged Lecture: T10-1 (5-231)
Examines the contemporary challenges and history of city planning on three continents - Africa, Asia, and South America. Students study a number of city plans, from the 'informal' settlements of Delhi and Nairobi, the modernist master plans of Brasilia and Baghdad, to climate action plans in various cities. Explores the relationship between dwelling and building in the design of cities, in conjunction with the environmental, social, political, and intellectual environments at the time of their planning. Open to both undergraduate and graduate students. MArch students can register for 9 credits. H. Gupta No required or recommended textbooks 4.634 Early Modern Architecture and Art
()
(Subject meets with 4.635) Prereq: None Units arranged
Presents a history, from the 14th through the early 17th century, of architectural practice and design, as well as visual culture in Europe with an emphasis on Italy. Topics include the production and reception of buildings and artworks; the significance of a reinvigorated interest in antiquity; and representation of the individual, the state, and other institutions.Examines a variety of interpretive methods. Graduate students are expected to complete additional assignments. Staff 4.635 Early Modern Architecture and Art
()
(Subject meets with 4.634) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9
Presents a history, from the 14th through the early 17th century, of architectural practice and design, as well as visual culture in Europe with an emphasis on Italy. Topics include the production and reception of buildings and artworks; the significance of a reinvigorated interest in antiquity; and representation of the individual, the state, and other institutions.Examines a variety of interpretive methods. Graduate students are expected to complete additional assignments. Staff 4.636 Topics in European Medieval Architecture and Art
()
(Subject meets with 4.637) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9
Investigates architecture and art in medieval Europe, including significant monuments, art objects, themes, and developments from late antiquity through the rise of European cities in the 13th century. Considers a variety of media, ranging from stone- and metalwork to parchment and glass. Topics include sacred places and spaces; pilgrimage; relics and souvenirs; iconoclasm; questions of materiality, agency, and the power associated with objects; nature and magic; visions; medieval conceptions of temporality; and the construct of feudalism. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments. Staff 4.637 Topics in European Medieval Architecture and Art
()
(Subject meets with 4.636) Prereq: None Units arranged
Investigates architecture and art in medieval Europe, including significant monuments, art objects, themes, and developments from late antiquity through the rise of European cities in the 13th century. Considers a variety of media, ranging from stone- and metalwork to parchment and glass. Topics include sacred places and spaces; pilgrimage; relics and souvenirs; iconoclasm; questions of materiality, agency, and the power associated with objects; nature and magic; visions; medieval conceptions of temporality; and the construct of feudalism. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments. Staff 4.640 Advanced Study in Critical Theory of Architecture
() 
Prereq: Permission of instructor Units arranged
Seminar on a selected topic in critical theory. Requires original research and presentation of oral and written report. Staff 4.641 19th-Century Art: Painting in the Age of Steam
()
(Subject meets with 4.644) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9
Investigation of visual culture in the nineteenth century with an emphasis on Western Europe, the United States, and Japan. Topics include art and industry, artists and urban experience, empire and its image, and artistic responses to new technologies from the telegraph to the steam engine to the great refractor telescope. Strikes a balance between historical and contemporary critical perspectives to assess art's engagement with the social and political experience of modernity. Additional work required of students taking the graduate version. Limited to 15. Staff 4.644 19th-Century Art: Painting in the Age of Steam
()
(Subject meets with 4.641) Prereq: None Units arranged
Investigation of visual culture in the nineteenth century with an emphasis on Western Europe, the United States, and Japan. Topics include art and industry, artists and urban experience, empire and its image, and artistic responses to new technologies from the telegraph to the steam engine to the great refractor telescope. Strikes a balance between historical and contemporary critical perspectives to assess art's engagement with the social and political experience of modernity. Additional work required of students taking the graduate version. Limited to 15. Staff 4.645 Selected Topics in Architecture: 1750 to the Present
()
Prereq: 4.210 or permission of instructor Units: 3-0-6
General study of modern architecture as a response to important technological, cultural, environmental, aesthetic, and theoretical challenges after the European Enlightenment. Focus on the theoretical, historiographic, and design approaches to architectural problems encountered in the age of industrial and post-industrial expansion across the globe, with specific attention to the dominance of European modernism in setting the agenda for the discourse of a global modernity at large. Explores modern architectural history through thematic exposition rather than as simple chronological succession of ideas. Staff 4.646 Advanced Study in the History of Modern Architecture and Urbanism
()
Prereq: Permission of instructor Units arranged
Seminar in a selected topic in the history of modern architecture and urbanism. Oral presentations and research paper required. Staff 4.647 Technopolitics, Culture, Intervention
()
Prereq: 4.645 or permission of instructor Units arranged Lecture: F9-12 (5-216)
Examines the manner in which key theories of technology have influenced architectural and art production in terms of their "humanizing" claims. Students test theories of technology on the grounds of whether technology is good or bad for humans. Limited to 15; preference to MArch students. A. Dutta No textbook information available 4.648[J] Resonance: Sonic Experience, Science, and Art
()
(Same subject as 21A.507[J]) (Subject meets with 4.649[J], 21A.519[J]) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9
Examines the sonic phenomena and experiences that motivate scientific, humanistic, and artistic practices. Explores the aesthetic and technical aspects of how we hear; measure or describe vibrations; record, compress, and distribute resonating materials; and how we ascertain what we know about the world through sound. Although the focus is on sound as an aesthetic, social, and scientific object, the subject also investigates how resonance is used in the analysis of acoustics, architecture, and music theory. Students make a sonic artifact and written report reflecting research as a final requirement. Students taking graduate version complete assignments aligned with their graduate research. Consult C. Jones 4.649[J] Resonance: Sonic Experience, Science, and Art
()
(Same subject as 21A.519[J]) (Subject meets with 4.648[J], 21A.507[J]) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9
Examines the sonic phenomena and experiences that motivate scientific, humanistic, and artistic practices. Explores the aesthetic and technical aspects of how we hear; measure or describe vibrations; record, compress, and distribute resonating materials; and how we ascertain what we know about the world through sound. Although the focus is on sound as an aesthetic, social, and scientific object, the subject also investigates how resonance is used in the analysis of acoustics, architecture, and music theory. Students make a sonic artifact and written report reflecting research as a final requirement. Students taking graduate version complete assignments aligned with their graduate research. Consult C. Jones 4.650 A Global History of Architecture
()
(Subject meets with 4.605) Prereq: None Units: 4-0-8
Provides an outline of the history of architecture and urbanism from ancient times to the early modern period. Analyzes buildings as the products of culture and in relation to the special problems of architectural design. Stresses the geopolitical context of buildings and in the process familiarizes students with buildings, sites and cities from around the world. Additional work required of graduate students. M. Jarzombek 4.651 Art Since 1940
()
Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9
Critical examination of major developments in European, Asian, and American art from 1940 to the present. Surveys the mainstream of art production but also examines marginal phenomena (feminism, identity politics, AIDS activism, net art) that come to change the terms of art's engagements with civic culture. Visits to area art museums and writing assignments develop skills for visual analysis and critical writing. Staff 4.652 Modern Art and Mass Culture
()
(Subject meets with 4.602) Prereq: None Units arranged Lecture: MW9.30-11 (3-133) Recitation: W12 (5-216) or F1 (5-216)
Introduction to theories of modernism and postmodernism and their related forms (roughly 18th century to present) in art and design. Focuses on how artists use the tension between fine art and mass culture to critique both. Examines visual art in a range of genres, from painting to design objects and "relational aesthetics." Works of art are viewed in their interaction with advertising, caricature, comics, graffiti, television, fashion, "primitive" art, propaganda, and networks on the internet. Additional work required of students taking the graduate version. Staff No required or recommended textbooks 4.654 Media Theory
()
Prereq: None Units arranged
Examines historical positions in what has been known as "media theory," engaging the tensions that vex current modes of production. Explores the broad panoply of bottom-up media content generation in its confrontation with proprietary media platforms, and measures contemporary digital narrative forms against the expanded cinematic theories of the past. Discussions focus on how the rich literature of media theory might accommodate gaming, XR, interactive immersive installations, and other contemporary phantasmagoria. Consult C. Jones, E. Brinkema 4.657 Design: The History of Making Things
()
Prereq: None Units: 5-0-7
Examines themes in the history of design, with emphasis on Euro-American theory and practice in their global contexts. Addresses the historical design of communications, objects, and environments as meaningful processes of decision-making, adaptation, and innovation. Critically assesses the dynamic interaction of design with politics, economics, technology, and culture in the past and at present. Limited to 36. T. Hyde, K. Smentek 4.661 Theory and Method in the Study of Architecture and Art
()
Prereq: Permission of instructor Units: 3-0-9 Lecture: T2-5 (5-216)
Studies theoretical and historiographical works pertaining to the fields of art and architectural history. Members of seminar pursue work designed to examine their own presuppositions and methods. Preference to PhD and other advanced students. K. Smentek No required or recommended textbooks 4.674[J] French Photography
()
(Same subject as 21G.049[J], 21H.145[J]) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9
Introduces students to the world of French photography from its invention in the 1820s to the present. Provides exposure to major photographers and images of the French tradition and encourages students to explore the social and cultural roles and meanings of photographs. Designed to help students navigate their own photo-saturated worlds; provides opportunity to gain practical experience in photography. Taught in English. Enrollment limited. C. Clark 4.675 Collect, Classify, Consume
() Not offered regularly; consult department Prereq: None Units arranged
Historical study of collecting from the Renaissance to the present. Addresses the practices of collecting and display at the both the individual and institutional level, and analyzes their social, aesthetic, scientific, political and economic dimensions. Specific themes vary from year to year. Offered for 9 or 12 units. May be repeated for credit with permission of instructor. Limited to 15. Staff 4.677 Advanced Study in the History of Art
()
Prereq: Permission of instructor Units arranged
Seminar in a selected topic in the history of art, with a particular emphasis on developments from the 18th century to the present. Includes short field trips to museums and collections. Oral presentations and research paper required. Offered for 9 or 12 units. Limited to 15. Staff 4.684 Preparation for HTC Major Exam
(, )
Prereq: Permission of instructor Units: 1-0-26 TBA.
Required of doctoral students in HTC as a prerequisite for work on the doctoral dissertation. The Major Exam covers a historically broad area of interest and includes components of history, historiography, and theory. Preparation for the exam will focus on four or five themes agreed upon in advance by the student and the examiner, and are defined by their area of teaching interest. Work is done in consultation with HTC faculty, in accordance with the HTC PhD Degree Program Guidelines. Restricted to HTC PhD students. K. Brearley No required or recommended textbooks 4.685 Preparation for HTC Minor Exam
(, )
Prereq: Permission of instructor Units: 1-0-14 TBA.
Required of doctoral students in HTC as a prerequisite for work on the doctoral dissertation. The Minor Exam focuses on a specific area of specialization through which the student might develop their particular zone of expertise. Work is done in consultation with HTC faculty, in accordance with the HTC PhD Degree Program Guidelines. Restricted to HTC PhD students. K. Brearley No required or recommended textbooks 4.686 SMArchS AKPIA Pre-Thesis Preparation
()
Prereq: 4.221 and (4.619 or 4.621) Units: 0-1-2 [P/D/F]
Preliminary study in preparation for the thesis for the SMArchS degree in the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture. Topics include literature search, precedents examination, thesis structure and typologies, and short writing exercise. Staff 4.687 SMArchS HTC Pre-Thesis Preparation
()
Prereq: 4.221 and 4.661 Units: 0-1-2 [P/D/F]
Preliminary study in preparation for the thesis for the SMArchS degree in History, Theory and Criticism. Topics include literature search, precedents examination, thesis structure and typologies, and short writing exercise. Staff 4.689 Preparation for History, Theory, and Criticism - Ph.D. Thesis
(,  , ,  )
Prereq: Permission of instructor Units arranged [P/D/F] Consult advisor TBA.
Required for doctoral students in HTC as a prerequisite for work on the doctoral dissertation. Prior to candidacy, doctoral students are required to write and orally defend a proposal laying out the scope of their thesis, its significance, a survey of existing research and literature, the methods of research to be adopted, a bibliography and plan of work. Work is done in consultation with HTC Faculty, in accordance with the HTC PhD Degree Program guidelines. Restricted to HTC PhD students. T. Haynes No textbook information available (Summer 2024); No required or recommended textbooks (Fall 2024) 4.691 Independent Study in the History, Theory, and Criticism of Architecture and Art
(, , )
Prereq: Permission of instructor Units arranged TBA.
Supplementary work on individual or group basis. Registration subject to prior arrangement for subject matter and supervision by staff. T. Haynes No required or recommended textbooks 4.692 Independent Study in the History, Theory, and Criticism of Architecture and Art
(, , )
Prereq: Permission of instructor Units arranged [P/D/F] TBA.
Supplementary work on individual or group basis. Registration subject to prior arrangement for subject matter and supervision by staff. T. Haynes No required or recommended textbooks 4.693 Independent Study in the History, Theory, and Criticism of Architecture and Art
(, , )
Prereq: Permission of instructor Units arranged TBA.
Supplementary work on individual basis. Registration subject to prior arrangement for subject matter and supervision by staff. T. Haynes No required or recommended textbooks 4.694 Independent Study in the History, Theory, and Criticism of Architecture and Art
(, , )
Prereq: Permission of instructor Units arranged [P/D/F] TBA.
Supplementary work on individual basis. Registration subject to prior arrangement for subject matter and supervision by staff. T. Haynes No required or recommended textbooks 4.S60 Special Subject: History, Theory and Criticism of Architecture and Art
(, ) Not offered regularly; consult department Prereq: None Units arranged
Seminar or lecture on a topic in the history, theory and criticism of architecture and art that is not covered in the regular curriculum. Requires original research and presentation of oral and written reports and/or design projects, varying at the discretion of the instructor. Staff 4.S61 Special Subject: History, Theory and Criticism of Architecture and Art
(, ) Not offered regularly; consult department Prereq: None Units arranged [P/D/F]
Seminar or lecture on a topic in the history, theory and criticism of architecture and art that is not covered in the regular curriculum. Requires original research and presentation of oral and written reports and/or design projects, varying at the discretion of the instructor. Staff 4.S62 Special Subject: History, Theory and Criticism of Architecture and Art
() Not offered regularly; consult department Prereq: Permission of instructor Units arranged
Seminar or lecture on a topic in the history, theory and criticism of architecture and art that is not covered in the regular curriculum. Requires original research and presentation of oral and written reports and/or design projects, varying at the discretion of the instructor. Staff 4.S63 Special Subject: History, Theory and Criticism of Architecture and Art
()
Prereq: Permission of instructor Units arranged Lecture: W9-12 (5-216)
Seminar or lecture on a topic in the history, theory and criticism of architecture and art that is not covered in the regular curriculum. Requires original research and presentation of oral and written reports and/or design projects, varying at the discretion of the instructor. C. Murphy No required or recommended textbooks 4.S64 Special Subject: History, Theory and Criticism of Architecture and Art
() Not offered regularly; consult department Prereq: Permission of instructor Units arranged [P/D/F]
Seminar or lecture on a topic in the history, theory and criticism of architecture and art that is not covered in the regular curriculum. Requires original research and presentation of oral and written reports and/or design projects, varying at the discretion of the instructor. Staff 4.S65 Special Subject: Advanced Study in Islamic Architecture
() Not offered regularly; consult department Prereq: Permission of instructor Units arranged
Seminar or lecture on a topic in Islamic or non-western architecture that is not covered in the regular curriculum. Requires original research and presentation of oral and written reports, varying at the discretion of the instructor. Staff 4.S66 Special Subject: History, Theory and Criticism of Art
(, ) Not offered regularly; consult department Prereq: Permission of instructor Units arranged
Seminar or lecture on a topic in the history, theory and criticism of art that is not covered in the regular curriculum. Requires original research and presentation of oral and written reports and/or design projects, varying at the discretion of the instructor. Staff 4.S67 Special Subject: Study in Modern Art
()
Prereq: Permission of instructor Units arranged
Seminar or lecture on a topic in the history, theory and criticism of modern art that is not covered in the regular curriculum. Requires original research and presentation of oral and written reports and/or design projects, varying at the discretion of the instructor. Staff 4.S68 Special Subject: Study in Modern Architecture
() Not offered regularly; consult department Prereq: Permission of instructor Units arranged
Seminar or lecture on a topic in the history, theory and criticism of modern architecture that is not covered in the regular curriculum. Requires original research and presentation of oral and written reports and/or design projects, varying at the discretion of the instructor. Staff 4.S69 Special Subject: Advanced Study in the History of Urban Form
()
Prereq: Permission of instructor Units arranged Lecture: R10-1 (5-231)
Seminar or lecture on a topic in the history, theory and criticism of urban form that is not covered in the regular curriculum. Requires original research and presentation of oral and written reports and/or design projects, varying at the discretion of the instructor. H. Gupta No required or recommended textbooks |
| | | Architecture Design | | | Architecture Studies | | | Art, Culture and Technology | | | Building Technology | | | Computation | | | History, Theory and Criticism of Architecture and Art | | | Thesis and UROP | | | |
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