Mar 14, 2026  
2026-2027 Undergraduate Academic Catalog 
    
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2026-2027 Undergraduate Academic Catalog
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ARE 3821 - Architectural History

3 lecture hours 0 lab hours 3 credits
Course Description
This course examines 4,500 years of architectural history as a continuum of ideas shaped by culture, technology, environment, ethics, and societal needs. Students analyze significant works from ancient civilizations to the present, exploring how design decisions responded to material constraints, structural systems, construction methods, climate, public safety, and social context. Architecture is studied as an integrated system of design intent, structural innovation, building technology, and construction practice, emphasizing the evolving relationship between architecture and engineering. Through inquiry-based learning, multimedia modules, experiential “Time Travel” design challenges, and a scaffolded research project, students critically evaluate architectural works within their historical frameworks while connecting past innovations to contemporary architectural engineering practice. Emphasis is placed on contextual analysis, professional responsibility, and the technical and societal impacts of design decisions.
Prereq: None
Note: None
This course meets the following Raider Core CLO Requirement: Exhibit Curiosity
Course Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  • Analyze historical architectural works within their cultural, technological, environmental, and societal contexts
  • Evaluate how architectural and engineering innovations responded to constraints such as materials, climate, public safety, and societal needs
  • Examine the ethical and professional implications of architectural and engineering decisions across history
  • Conduct sustained inquiry through research, synthesis, and critical analysis of architectural works, demonstrating open-minded intellectual curiosity
  • Communicate historical and contextual analysis effectively in written and visual formats
Prerequisites by Topic
  • None
Course Topics
  • Early civilizations and archetypal architectural forms
  • Classical Greek and Roman planning, temples, infrastructure, and engineered systems
  • Early Christian and Byzantine sacred architecture
  • Medieval fortifications, pilgrimage routes, and Romanesque building traditions
  • Gothic structural innovation, craft traditions, and emerging professional practice
  • Renaissance humanism, proportional systems, and Baroque urban transformation
  • Industrialization and the emergence of iron, steel, glass, and modern construction systems
  • Modernism and the integration of architecture, engineering, and technology
  • Global architectural traditions and cross-cultural exchange
  • Postmodernism and late-20th-century theoretical movements
  • Architecture, social equity, and humanitarian design practice
  • Contemporary challenges and the future of the built environment
Coordinator
Kurt Zimmerman


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