This course surveys the history of architecture in relation to the distinct but related issues of modernism and modernity. On the one hand, we look at modernity as a condition of European and American culture from early in the 19th c, emerging partly from western geopolitical domination on a global stage; on the other, we examine modernism as a distinct response to progressive modernization in a range of arenas, but all related to the built environment. From 19th beginnings in new building types and social institutions, until the end of the 20th c., we will consider how architects, engineers, planners, and developers responded to the accelerations of industrialization, of technology, and of culture.

The course will trace the genesis and development of foundational themes of architectural modernism in relation to more general historical change. Concurrent developments in other fields such as painting, sculpture, photography, film, and literature, enter the picture, along with political events across the western world and its changing status within global history. Important developments in the history of architecture will be considered in relation to corollary or contradictory developments in other arenas. The course will move in chronological sequence, beginning with radical changes to architecture and artistic culture in the mid-19th c. It will include a series of comparative case studies narrowly focused on specific objects and texts placed within their geographical and historical context. The class is a lecture course with opportunity for class discussion on a regular basis. Estimate cost of materials: $50 or more, but less than $100. D.4