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History + Theory + Preservation

The History + Theory + Preservation program area (HTP) is dedicated to the important role that architecture, landscapes, and building practices play in shaping the world we live in. We believe architects and historians should work together as stewards of the constructed world and act as advocates for a more equitable built environment.

attic of Old East School, brown brick, dirty, circular window, graffiti

Student field work in cultural heritage – attic of the Old East School (1863-66)

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Deploying humanistic and interdisciplinary methods, courses and faculty research explore the past and present global built environment at all scales, through analysis of both objects and texts. Students are trained to interrogate both broad questions and microhistories to reveal manifestations of human making and use of the built form, societies’ interpretation and reception of architecture over time, and the changing nature of design thought and practice. Faculty research and teaching interpret and theorize architecture and identity, memory, and materiality, among other areas of interest, frequently focusing on transcultural zones from the deep past to the present.

HTP concentration

Faculty in the HTP program area pursue research that critically examines the formal and social structures of design and construction processes. Students build skills related to humanities-based interpretation of design, adaptive reuse and historic preservation, cultural heritage consulting, building forensics, and further graduate study in architectural history and theory. At its core, HTP promotes critical thinking and research skills that connect the design of the built environment to larger questions about culture, technology, sustainability, and social justice.

Our program has particular strengths in the study of architecture of the Americas, construction history and history of technology, and global practices in heritage studies and historic preservation.

 

Graduate students who pursue a concentration in the HTP concentration are encouraged to consider the Graduate Minor in Heritage Studies and Preservation, an interdisciplinary program that provides instruction related to policies and practices in heritage studies and historic preservation, as well as study at the Master’s and PhD levels.

Graduate Minor in Hertiage Studies

Affiliated Faculty