Contemporary Architecture and Critical Debate
MIT's required graduate seminar for Master of Architecture students surveys architectural works, theories, and polemics from the period following World War II. The course builds a historical framework for understanding how architects have defined their own present moment, tracing debates from postwar modernism through later critical and theoretical movements. Sessions center on close readings of key texts and buildings, with attention to historiography: how architects and critics construct the narratives that frame contemporary practice. Materials on MIT OpenCourseWare include the syllabus, reading lists, and assignment descriptions used in the actual graduate seminar. No enrollment or certificate is offered; the course is provided as open reference material for self-study. It suits students of architectural history and theory looking for a structured overview of postwar critical debates rather than a design studio or technical course.