COURSE OVERVIEW AND SYLLABUS

This document gives an overview of course intent and organization.

4.605x, A Global History of Architecture serves as a platform to think about

architecture in various places around the world. The architectural works
presented in this course will fall between 100,000 BCE to 1,600 CE.
Discussion includes context in which these architectures are built, how they
are situated in the landscape, as well as understanding the social structures
that designed and created these works. At the end of the course you will
receive a certificate of course completion.

Two lectures, downloadable handouts, lecture questions, discussion prompts,

and readings will be released weekly, on Tuesdays, at 14:00 UTC. Four exams
are also included with this course, one for each six lectures. All assessment
material, including lecture questions and exams, must be completed within
one week of its release on edX, no exceptions.

Announcements will be posted in the Updates & News section, under Course
Info. Our primary communication channel will be our interactive forum,
where students and staff will all contribute to an ongoing discussion of the
course material. Teaching assistants can address logistical and technical
concerns on the course discussion forum.

The course has a companion textbook by Francis Ching, Mark Jarzombek and
Vikram Prakash, A Global History of Architecture (Wiley, 2010). This book or
eBook is available for purchase on Amazon.com. Purchasing the textbook
yourself is not necessary, as sections of the book will be made available for
viewing, for free, for those enrolled in the course. Each weeks lecture will
have a reading from the textbook, presenting information that is not seen in
the lecture. While textbook reading does not factor into the grading of this
course it is highly recommended that students complete all the readings
assigned before watching this courses lectures.
COURSE ABSTRACT
How do we understand architecture? One way of answering this question is
by looking through the lens of history. This course will examine architecture
through time, beginning with First Societies and extending to the 15th
century. Though the course is chronological, it is not intended as a linear
narrative, but rather aims to provide a more global view, by focusing on
different architectural "moments." The lectures will give students the
appropriate grounding for understanding a range of buildings and contexts.
The material in the lectures will be supplemented by readings from the
textbook A Global History of Architecture. Each lecture analyzes a particular
architectural transformation arising from a dynamic cultural situation. How
did the introduction of iron in the ninth century BCE impact regional politics
and the development of architecture? How did new religious formations, such
as Buddhism and Hinduism, produce new architectural understandings?
What were the architectural consequences of the changing political
landscape in northern Italy in the 14th century? How did rock-cut
architecture move across space and time from West Asia to India to Africa?
How did the emergence of corn impact the rise of religious and temple
construction in Mexico? These are typical questions that the lectures will
address.

ASSIGNMENTS, GRADING, AND CERTIFICATES

Watch all weekly lectures, complete all lecture review questions, participate
in forum discussion, and complete all four exams. Grading will be weighted
as follows: 20% on Lecture Review Questions, and 80% on exams (meaning
each exam is worth 20% of your grade). If you earn more than 70% of the
points in the course and obtain a Verification Upgrade by the posted
deadline, you will receive a certificate of completion.

SUPPLEMENTARY CONTENT
A few bonus lectures will also be made available at the beginning of the
course. It is not mandatory that you watch them. There is no assessment
associated with this supplementary content.

A Study Map, identifying locations of many key buildings discussed in

course lectures, has been made to accompany the online courseware. There
is no assessment associated with this map.
INTERFACE OUTLINE

Courseware
4.605x is accessible through the edX platform. All lectures are accessed
under the Courseware tab. The Mid-term and Final exams will be posted
under this tab. This is also where weekly readings from the textbook will be
posted, as well as weekly discussion topics.

Course Info
The course overview and syllabus (this document), and information regarding
fair use will be available here. Course updates will also be posted here.
Check this tab often, as this is your source for news and updates regarding
4.605x.

Discussion
The course will have a public discussion forum that will be moderated by the
course Teaching Assistant. Topics will be posted weekly, with their associated
lectures. The discussion forum also contains a space to share your
troubleshooting concerns.

Progress
This tab shows your progress and grades for all completed sections of the
course.

Study Map
Information about the map of the buildings that are discussed in 4.605x. The
map includes photos, videos, and a short summary of the structures.
SCHEDULE

WEEK RELEASE ITEM TITLE

1 9/20/16 Lecture 1 First
Societies
Lecture 2 The
Gravettians and the
Hunting Traditions of the
North
2 9/27/16 Lecture 3 The
Holocene and the Agro-
Pastoral Emergence
Lecture 4 Agricultural
Emergence
Lecture 5 Stone
3 10/4/16
Between Life and Death
Lecture 6 Cities and
Temples
10/6/16 Exam 1
4 10/11/16 Lecture 7 1500 BCE:
After the Cataclysm and
the Rise of the Eastern
Mediterranean
Lecture 8 Iron and the
New World Order
5 10/18/16 Lecture 9 Persia and
Greece
Lecture 10 India and
China
Lecture 11 Buddhism:
6 10/25/16
India and Beyond
Lecture 12 Americas:
Shaping/Harvesting the
Land
10/27/16 Exam 2
7 11/1/16 Lecture 13 Rome
Lecture 14 Roman
Architecture
8 11/08/16 Lecture 15 Early
Christian Architecture
Lecture 16 Christianity
 and the Roman East
Lecture 17 Early
9 11/15/16
Islamic Architecture
Lecture 18 Early Hindu
Architecture
11/17/16 Exam 3
10 11/22/16 Lecture 19 Borobudur,
Angkor, and SE Asia
Lecture 20 The 13th
Century: Inner Asia and
Beyond
11 11/29/16 Lecture 21 Medieval
Christian Architecture
Lecture 22 Italy: 13th to
the 15th Century
12 12/6/16 Lecture 23 Colonial
Transitions
Lecture 24 Time
12/8/16 Exam 4