General goal of the seminar is to raise students’ awareness about the changing criteria of architecture history and in doing so to provide the basis for understanding contemporary developments in architecture. The course focuses on this theoretical question because of its intrinsic importance and uses it additionally as a medium in order to show how to isolate an academic research question and to formulate a convincing argument.

The team at a-theory welcomes Prof. Mark Jarzombek as Guest Professor for the summer semester 2013. He is Associate Dean, School of Architecture and Planning, Professor in History and Theory of Architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston, USA (web.mit.edu/mmj4/www). For this seminar he offers the topic of: 

“A Global History of Architecture”.

The seminar will inquire into ways to move away from the Eurocentric towards a global approach to (architecture) history.  Questions that will be addressed in this context include:        

• Is there a global approach to history in the making and, if so, what does it circumscribe?
• Will the rules of the Eurocentric approach apply to the global approach in the same manner or can there be new rules and new ways of applying them?
• Is there a paradigm?
• Are there any grand narratives?
• What values are involved? In how far do they differ?
• How can global history differ from typical economic globalism?

Location: Seminar room Architekturtheorie, Wiedner Hauptstrasse 7, Staircase 2 in the courtyard, 1st floor, if not otherwise mentioned.

We offer a seminar block during the first two weeks of the semester:

• 11.3.2013, 10-12h: first meeting, introduction to the themes: globalization, public, preservation, space of modernity.
• 13.2.2013, 10-12h: handout reading material, preparation.
• 15.3.2013, 10-12h: discussion of reading material.
• 18.3.2013, 10-12h Lecture Prof. Jarzombek: “Global not-so-global”
• 20.3.2013, 10-12h Lecture Prof. Jarzombek: “Angkor Wat and discussion on Global History"
• 20.3.2013, 19h “Corridic Modernity.” Evening lecture at Vienna University of Technology, Kuppelsaal
• 21.3.2013, 10-12h: Lecture Prof. Jarzombek: “enlightment introduced the concept of history” with subsequent discussion. (reader: Hegel, Kant;)
• 21.3.2013, 14-16h: Prof. Jarzombek: Meeting with Ph.D. students.
• 22.3.2013, 10h: Lecture Prof. Jarzombek: “Sustainability” with subsequent discussion.
• 23.3-7.4.2013 Easter holydays
• 8.4.2013, 10-12h: discussion, preparation for paper or essay.
• 29.4, 10-12h: Seminar Meeting
• 13.5, 10-12h: Seminar Meeting
• 20.5, 10-12h: Pfingsten
• 27.5, 10-12h: Seminar Meeting
• 3.6, 10-12h: Seminar Meeting
• 24.6, 10-12h:  presentation of argument and due date for papers or essays.
• 28.6. Upload final paper or essay at Tuwel

Written examination or paper

Mark M. Jarzombek:

A Global History of Architecture, Wiley (2006) (mit V. Prakash und Illustrator F. D.K. Ching)

The Psychologizing of Modernity; Art, Architecture and History. Cambridge University Press (2000)

The seminar is intended for students in their last year of Bachelor studies, as well as for Master and Doctorate (PhD) level students. It can function as a venue for a “Wahlseminar” (elective seminar) paper or for an academic essay.

In case you are interested in attending the seminar please send a mail to schuerer@a-theory.tuwien.ac.at or simply show up at the first meeting. Only Bachelor students are required to sign up with the usual procedure for their Bachelor seminar paper.