Thinking About Architecture: In History and at Present
MIT OpenCourseWare offers this lecture-discussion course on architectural theory, tracing how ideas like pedagogy, professionalism, nature, modernity, and the Enlightenment have shaped architectural thought across history. Rather than treating theory as a fixed canon, the course frames it as part of a wider intellectual history that continues to be debated. Materials include a syllabus, readings, and assignments: students write three short papers and take part in one of three in-class debates staged to surface historical disagreements and their consequences. The format favors discussion over straight lecture, with class participation counted toward the grade. Free to access through MIT's OpenCourseWare site, the course provides the reading list and assignment structure but not live instruction or a certificate.