The History + Theory curriculum at SCI-Arc provides a rigorous immersion into the history, theory, and criticism of architecture to equip students with the skills necessary to become leaders in the production of architectural discourse within a global context.

History + Theory at SCI-Arc is a dynamic field of critical inquiry that addresses the need for new modes of discourse through which advancements in design may be translated into significant contributions to the discipline.

Students learn to engage deeply with emerging history and theory as evolving and creative fields rather than fixed canons. The goal of History + Theory is to productively challenge existing notions of architecture’s disciplinary capacities, both past and future.

SCI-Arc’s History + Theory curriculum directs attention to the intersection of the discourse surrounding the history and theory of architecture with philosophy, art history, music, literature, popular culture, and other forms of cultural production.

Required lecture courses in History + Theory emphasize the manifold and shifting narratives from which architectural thought is shaped, while equipping students with the expert reasoning and rhetorical skills needed to engage in the discourse themselves.

Elective History + Theory seminars function as collaborative incubators for new architectural ideas, during which students are asked to actively engage in rigorous research and speculative projection.