The Architectural Monument: Building Memory from Antiquity to the Present

Catalog description

Architecture has played a significant role in the construction, dissemination, and preservation of memory. As a particularly costly and permanent form of memorial, it is the locus for debates and even controversy over a culture’s collective identity and over questions about what to remember and what to forget. This course takes us back to the roots of monument building in ancient Rome, where the terms in which we think about monuments in western culture -- both the conceptual framework and architectural grammar – were essentially shaped. We will then trace the reception of Roman memorial culture in the 19th and 20th century, focusing on moments both of imitation and rejection. Throughout the semester, we will consider how architecture can connect us to the past and facilitate remembrance through its style, form, and location in the urban environment. We will also critically reflect on the relationship between past and present and the value of the architectural monument for our current times.