Topics for Fall 2024: Section A1: "Methods of Inquiry in Architecture Studies" This seminar draws from different methods across the humanities, social sciences, and environmental design to explore the range of research methods that can be used in architecture studies and architectural history. As we work through the semester, students do assigned readings that provide an overview of intellectual debates and methodological approaches for architectural research, including humanist, ethnographic, archival, oral historical, urban, environmental, postcolonial, forensic, photographic, and virtual. Throughout, students work on a set of exercises specifically created to expose them to different kinds of methods. Section B1: Carving the Divine: Japanese Buddhist Sculpture. This course explores the golden age of Buddhist sculpture in Japan from the seventh through thirteenth centuries. Through focused studies of major works, students will combine art historical analysis with multidisciplinary approaches to the study of these complex cultural artifacts.