ARTHIST 217: Architecture, Mysticism, and Myth (ARTHIST 417)

Course Description

This course examines global origin myths for architecture, for example cosmic symbolism (e.g. the Mandala/dome), and the magic of technologies (e.g. the "petrification" of the wooden hut in permanent architecture). Examples range from Ethiopian rockcut churches, to the Parthenon, to the Ise Grand Shrine, to Fire Temples, and Navajo lodges. The course concludes with the modern mythology of industrialisation and the mechanised building.