Total: 4 classes, 6 class hours

Unit 2 Dates/Times: Wednesdays, 12:00-1:30 pm on Oct. 7, Oct. 14, Oct. 21 and Oct. 28.

Unit 2 Description: As much as the materials from which they’re constructed, large-scale architectural projects are built on societies’ values and structures of power. For instance, the Pantheon and Hagia Sophia, serve as religious sites as well as assertive displays of cultural dominance, wealth, and intellectual might.  In this unit, we catch glimpses of four different cultures through the window of monumental architecture and explore intersections of power with technique, innovation, spirituality and beauty.

Key cultures/monuments (subject to change): Rome’s triumphal arches, Pantheon and/or Colosseum, Byzantium’s Hagia Sophia, Great Zimbabwe’s massive Stone Walls (11th c. CE), and the entrance portals to medieval European cathedrals.

Class requirements: reliable internet connection; ability to log onto Zoom meetings (the lecture) as well as listen to and watch live lecture sessions

Strongly recommended: computer webcam and microphone to optimize class participation