COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course focuses on architectural exchanges, networks, mobility, and production in the
modern era. It places the built environment at the centre of discussions on multilayered and
global social, cultural, and political exchanges. Our goal is to deconstruct assumptions that tie
modernism to a unilateral advancement or universality. The impacts of colonialism, industrial
capitalism, heteropatriarchy, racism, and world wars invite us to reflect on conflicts and
oppression as well as negotiations and resistance when thinking about architecture. What is
“modern,” “global,” or “transnational” when we talk about architecture? What role did diverse
transnational agents, groups, networks, or architects play in the planning of the built
environment? How did ideology and identity play into these exchanges? How do we dismantle
the meanings of identity categories, such as gender, sexuality, race or class when talking about
multiple modernisms? We will learn how typologies, urban patterns, and architectural meanings
and functions moved within global spheres.
We will look at buildings, projects, and landscapes in the Middle East, the Americas, Africa,
Europe, and Asia in order to comprehend multidirectional movements of architectural
knowledge. Through our analytical examination of case studies, we will question normative
boundaries, definitions, and borders. Students will develop a critical perspective towards history
through weekly readings, assignments, and the final research paper.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
The course consists of weekly lectures and group discussions. By the end of the course, a
successful learner will be able to:
- critically examine architecture in relation to modernism and globalization
- identify key concepts of modern architecture
- understand how architecture has shaped and been shaped by cultural, social, and
political forces
1 Spadina Cres.
Toronto, ON M5S 2J5
Canada
416-978-5038
, 2 !
!
- summarize and critique theoretical, historical, and critical texts
- describe a building or project in its cultural, geographical, and political context
- prepare a research paper focusing on a course theme using primary and secondary
sources
- develop research questions and arguments
- locate relevant library and online sources and create a bibliography
- critically select and analyze visual material to support arguments
- collaborate with peers and give constructive feedback
!
Students are expected to:
Attend all lectures and tutorials
Complete all required readings prior to Wednesday lectures
Participate in tutorial discussions
Complete all assignments by deadlines
!
SCHEDULE:
September 14: Tutorial
No tutorials this week. Please complete the required readings and familiarize yourself with the
course syllabus before the first lecture on September 15.
September 15 / Lecture 1: Introduction
Introduction to the course
Introduction to terms: modernity, modernism, globalization, global cultures, history, universalism,
colonialism, imperialism, heteropatriarchy, transnational.
Required readings:
• Prak"sh, Vikram"ditya. “Epilogue: Third World Modernism, or Just Modernism:
Towards a Cosmopolitan Reading of Modernism,” in Third World Modernism:
Architecture, Development, and Identity, edited by Duanfang Lu, 255-67. London:
Routledge, 2010.
• Guggenheim, Michael, and Ola Söderström. “Mobility and the Transformation of Built
Form.” In Re-Shaping Cities: How Global Mobility Transforms Architecture and Urban
Form, edited by Michael Guggenheim and Ola Söderström, 3-20. London: Routledge,
2010.
Optional:
• Heynen, Hilde. “Architecture Facing Modernity.” In Architecture and Modernity: A
Critique, 8-24. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1999.
September 21 / Tutorial 1:
Deadline: Submission of reading questions at the beginning of the class
September 22 / Lecture 2: Industrialization and Mechanization
Topics covered: Industrial Revolution, industrial city, skyscraper, World War I, architectural
manifestos, machine aesthetics, avant-garde, Bauhaus.
Required readings:
• Hochhäusl, Sophie. “From Vienna to Frankfurt Inside Core-House Type 7: A History of
Scarcity through the Modern Kitchen.” Architectural Histories 1, no. 1 (2013): 1-19.
https://journal.eahn.org/articles/10.5334/ah.aq/.
• McLeod, Mary. “Architecture or Revolution: Taylorism, Technocracy, and Social
Change.” Art Journal 43, no. 2 (Summer 1983): 132-47.
Optional:
1 Spadina Cres.
Toronto, ON M5S 2J5
Canada
416-978-5038
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