Selected Topics in Architectural History and Theory: Corporate Architecture

ARC3319H F
Instructor: John Harwood
Meeting Section: L0101
Thursday, 9:00am - 12:00pm
Location: TBD

The history of modern architecture is coeval with what economic historians have named “the modern business enterprise.” No building, landscape, or urban apparatus is constructed today outside of the political economic structure known as liberalism, and yet its primary tool—the corporation—is but poorly understood within architectural culture. This seminar explores the ontology of the corporation, why corporate forms of capital have been written out of architectural history and theory, and how we might build an operative theory of corporate capital within architectural history.Students are expected to write précis of works of political economy, urban, landscape and architectural history, and to prepare a detailed annotated bibliography in service of a longer-term research project in the broad field of corporate design.