The course of History of Architecture has one privileged object of study: the application of the historical method and critical discourse, as developed between 19th and 21st century, to the analysis of architecture, the city and of built environment.
Two are the main goals. The first is the construction of a lexicon of keywords, which enables the understanding and interpretation of architectural and urban phenomena in modern and contemporary history. The second is the understanding of the complexity of the processes, the identity of the different actors and the multiplicity of cultural reasons (technological, economic, social, political) that have produced the architectures and cities in the West.

The course of History of Architecture develops a dual structure of inquiry and knowledge. On the one hand, the course focuses on a series of architectural and urban case studies, suitable to highlight some crucial themes, issues and concepts in the history of architecture. On the other hand, the course analyses and compares the different interpretations of these facts, as produced by a variety of social actors involved in the construction and/or reception of the built environment (architects, engineers and builders, clients and other users, critics and journalists).
At the end of the course, the students will ideally be able to manage two essential cultural qualities: the analytic knowledge of the architectural and urban facts, as well as the synthetic ability to distinguish the various interpretations, produced along a wide spectrum of time by a plurality of protagonists.

The course will build upon the basic knowledge and skills acquired in the courses of History of Contemporary and Modern Architecture, during the bachelor’s degree.
As the course of History of Architecture will be thoroughly held in English, a good competence in the language is an essential prerequisite.

The course will be divided into two parts
Part 1 (2 credits). Part 1 will consist in a critical assessement of some key notions of modern architectural theory and in a discussion of the historical evolution of architectural and urban vocabulary. Adrian Forty’s Words and Buildings will serve as a reference text for this part. This part will be based on lectures centered on specific notions and keywords.
Parts 2a and 2b (2+2 credits). Part 2 of the course will observe the interplay between architectural and urban change in four cities: New York, Paris, Berlin, and London. These cities will serve as observation points in order to test the cultural informations acquired in part 1 and to critically discuss some fundamental issues of global architectural and urban history from the early 19th century to the early 21st. This part will be based on lectures focused on the selected cities (2a) and on a research paper on a specific case study of architectural/urban transformation within those cities (2b).

Part 1 (eight lectures, each followed by a discussion) will be based on lectures on key notions of modern architectural theory. These will take the lead from specific entries in Adrian Forty’s Words and Buildings. Part 1 lectures will usually take place on Friday afternoon.
Part 2a (eight lectures, each followed by a discussion) will be based on lectures discussing specific aspects of the architectural and urban history of the four selected cities: New York, Paris, Berlin, and London. Part 2 lectures will usually take place on Thursday afternoon.
Part 2b (a paper, prepared through individual research work, public presentations and intermediate reviews). Each student of the course will be required to research and write a full paper on a specific building or urban transformation situated in one of the four cities. Specific methodological lectures and reviews will be dedicated to this exercise over the course of the semester. In particular, students will be asked to prepare two presentations of their ongoing research work. The sixth and the final week of the course will be entirely dedicated to a review of the papers.
All the activities of the course, including the final exam, will take place in English. The final paper can be written in English or Italian.

General reference works:
Part 1
Adrian Forty, Words and Buildings: A Vocabulary of Modern Architecture, London, Thames & Hudson, 2000
Part 2
A specific bibliography on the required and suggested readings for Part 2 will be provided and discussed during the course.
A detailed program will be published on the Portale della didattica in coincidence with the beginning of the course.
The slides supporting the lectures for parts 1 and 2a and most of the required readings will be made available to students in electronic format on the Portale della didattica.

The final grade will be based upon an evaluation of:
1. The written paper (30%). The paper will have to be completed two weeks before the exam session that the student wishes to attend. Students not willing or unable to complete the paper can replace it with additional readings for the oral exam
2. An oral exam on Parts 1 and 2a (30%+30%). This will consist in a conversation on the required readings and on the lectures concerning these two parts.
3. Active participation to the course activities and discussions over the course of the semester (10%).

Further details concerning the organization of the course and the final evaluation will be given in the detailed version of the course program.