4.s60 Undergraduate | 4.s62 Graduate

Note: for the Spring 2025 term, 4.s60 is a HASS-H subject

How does architecture impact the environment? How does the environment impact architecture? Drawing on case studies from the ancient world to the present day, and from geographies across the globe, this class will explore the myriad ways in which the creation of architecture has involved the modification of natural environments and climates and the exploitation of resources. Rather than examining architecture’s history as a succession of monuments, this course investigates the metabolic processes of raw material extraction, transportation, and manipulation that made the creation of buildings, infrastructures, and designed landscapes possible in the first place. Students will explore how material and climatic considerations played into the design and aesthetic of buildings at various points in time, while gaining an awareness of the largely-invisible, increasingly far-flung networks of environmental management and labor that underpin our built environment.

The colonial city represents a nexus of power, culture, and spatial organization, serving as both a tool of imperial expansion and a site of (asymmetrical) exchange.  This seminar examines the historical, theoretical, and critical dimensions of colonial cities, tracing their evolution from the ancient Greek polis to the present day and extending into speculative futures of space colonization. By exploring diverse models and case studies, this seminar highlights how colonial urbanism shaped the political, social, and cultural landscapes of cities across history and geography.

Historically, colonial cities have embodied the ambitions of empires to conquer and settle new territories, from the Roman castrum to Renaissance-era trading hubs and British colonial centers in India. These cities were not only practical mechanisms of governance and control but also symbolic representations of domination and ideology. Theoretical frameworks, such as those underpinning the Hippodamian model of Greek colonies or Haussmannian urban planning in 19th-century France, reveal the deliberate strategies behind spatial design and social organization.  Critically, this seminar engages with the legacies of colonialism, interrogating how colonial urban experiments have perpetuated inequalities and influenced contemporary postcolonial cities.

Looking forward, the concept of colonial urbanism extends beyond Earth, as aspirations for space colonization echo historical practices of conquest and settlement. The exploration of the colonial city invites critical reflection on the enduring impact of colonial ideologies on urban environments, emphasizing the need to reimagine cities as spaces of inclusivity and resistance. Through a cross-cultural, cross-temporal, and interdisciplinary approach, this seminar provides a comprehensive understanding of the colonial city as both a historical phenomenon and a lens for analyzing current and future urban paradigms.

Research paper required. 

Critical review of literature on Islamic art and architecture in the last two centuries. Analyzes the cultural, disciplinary, and theoretical contours of the field and highlights the major figures that have influenced its evolution. Challenges the tacit assumptions and biases of standard studies of Islamic art and architecture and addresses historiographic and critical questions concerning how knowledge of a field is defined, produced, and reproduced.

4.619 Certificated Protected Syllabus

Examines the history of Islamic architecture and culture spanning fifteen centuries on three continents - Asia, Africa, Europe. Students study a number of representative examples, from the 7th century House of the Prophet to the current high-rises of Dubai, in conjunction with their urban, social, political, and intellectual environments at the time of their construction.

MIT Certificate Protected Syllabus