Architecture is the product of social, cultural, religious, and political forces. Great cultures and civilizations have existed all over the world, producing not only great monuments but robust vernacular architectural traditions, closely tied to the environment and their local context, which resonate even today. This course examines the history of architecture from the Prehistoric period through the 16th century from a global perspective. Course Description: Arch 214a presents an overview of the history of architecture from the Prehistoric period through the 16th century from a global perspective. It is based on a five-part structure to ensure complete coverage. In alphabetical order, this is: (1) Africa (2) Asia (3) Europe (4) The Americas (5) West Asia. For clarity, this part of the survey will be divided into chronologically coherent groupings, related to discernable similarities, as well as three distinct sections, entitled I: The Search for Meaning in the Cosmos, II: The Rise and Fall of Empires, and III: The Age of Faiths.

Architecture 553 examines the impact of politics, culture and the environment on the evolution of American architectural and urban forms from prehistory to World War II. The class explores the interchange between European architectural theory and indigenous and vernacular influences as they came together to create new national and regional forms of building and urban design. While generally chronological in presentation, lectures also examine a series of case studies in order to more closely explore the complexity of form and meaning in the American landscape.