The subject is divided into lectures (two per week) and recitations (one). The lectures provide a history of architecture with an urbanist perspective that stress the cultural and political context from which building arises. Discussion sections are designed to develop critical tools that apply generally to the analysis of architecture and to an appreciation of its role in creating the intellectual environment in which we conduct our lives. Paper assignments take advantage of the architectural resources of MIT, Cambridge, and Boston, and help the student to get to know the city.

Reading per week: 50 pages
Writing per term: 20 pages (4 5-page papers, one paper every 2-3 weeks)
No quizzes
1.25 hour mid-term exam
Closed book final exam