This course is an introduction to western architecture from the ancient world to the late twentieth century. After preliminary study of the conventions of architectural representation and uses of materials the course offers a historical overview of key monuments of Greek Roman Byzantine Gothic Renaissance and modern architecture. Geographically the course moves from the Mediterranean through northern Europe and Britain to the United States with lectures also on select Islamic monuments. The intersection of engineering aesthetics and symbolism are studied in the Pantheon and its emulators in Renaissance Florence Michelangelo's Rome and Wren's London. Urban planning is the focus of classes on New York and Washington DC. The interaction of American and European modernism concludes the course with emphasis on Frank Lloyd Wright and Le Corbusier.
