DESCRIPTION

This course will be repeated. Register your interest and we will inform you when it becomes available

This four-week introductory course examines how modern assumptions about the human condition, nature and progress have reshaped architecture, craftsmanship, art and the city. It explores the consequences of these shifts including the separation of beauty from function, the commodification of art and the fragmentation of urban life, and offers a critical examination of how traditional Islamic architecture and art are understood today.
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COURSE OUTLINE

Architecture does not emerge in isolation. Buildings, arts and cities all reflect an understanding of the world. Our modern world is no different.

The course examines how modern assumptions about the human condition, nature, technology, economics and progress have reshaped architecture, craftsmanship, art and the city. It explores the consequences of these shifts including the separation of beauty from function, the decline of craftsmanship, the commodification of art and the fragmentation of urban life.


By extension, the course also offers a critical examination of how traditional Islamic architecture and art are understood today. Modern scholarship often interprets these traditions primarily through historical factors and technical analysis, while popular discourse frequently reduces Islamic architecture to a recognisable visual style. We will see why these approaches do not provide an explanation for beauty in the traditional city.


Throughout the four sessions, we will engage with four simple but profound questions: What is architecture? Why do we build? What is craftsmanship? What is a city? We will see how the built environment around us has been reduced to aesthetics, function and efficiency.


In this process, meaning, beauty and happiness are often left out of the equation. One of the goals of this course is to give students the tools that allow them to perceive what modern life is lacking, as well as the hidden assumptions that lie behind modern architecture and urbanism. This will prepare students to delve into the world of traditional art, architecture and the city.

WHO IS THIS COURSE FOR?

This course is designed for anyone who wants to understand the principles that lie behind the buildings, art, and cities around them. No previous background in architecture, art, or design is needed. It is a great fit for:

  • Design and planning professionals: architects, urban planners, and designers who believe that workplace discussions focus too heavily on budgets, codes, or efficiency.

  • Artists and visual storytellers: artists, craftspeople, photographers, and writers who want to look past modern commercial styles to understand how the way art is made has shifted.

  • Cultural and heritage specialists: educators, heritage workers, and cultural organisers looking for tangible ways to talk about modern changes.

  • Students and lifelong learners: anyone who wants to understand why modern neighborhoods feel different from historic ones, and want to see the world around them with fresh eyes.

COURSE STRUCTURE

4 Week Course

  • WEEK TWO | What is Architecture?

    Look past modern definitions of architecture to see how reducing a building to just an outer style or form that hides its true, deeper purpose.

  • WEEK TWO | Why do we Build?

    Trace how modern buildings became focused mostly on performance, surveillance and visual spectacle, exploring what we lose when beauty and deeper meaning are separated from daily use.

  • WEEK THREE | What is Craftsmanship?

    Modern factories turned the art of making into fast production, hinting at traditional crafts emphasis on the artisan over the objects.

  • WEEK FOUR | What is a City?

    Look at how modern planning reduces cities to maps and grids, and briefly contrast this with how traditional cities left room for community, shared order, and everyday human prosperity and happiness.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

  • Identify the philosophical assumptions that underpin the modern built environment and explain how they shape contemporary approaches to architecture, craftsmanship, art and urbanism.

  • Explain how the modern worldview gives rise to architectural, artistic and urban traditions that prioritise either functional efficiency or visual spectacle.

  • Recognise the consequences of the modern built environment, including the separation of beauty from utility, the decline of craftsmanship, the commodification of art and the fragmentation of urban life.

  • Critically evaluate modern scholarly and popular interpretations of traditional Islamic architecture, recognising both their contributions and their limitations.

  • Develop a critical framework for evaluating modern architecture and urbanism, preparing them for more advanced study of the traditional Islamic understanding of art, architecture and the city.

TEACHER

Mohamed A. El-Gendy

Mohamed A. El-Gendy holds two masters degrees from the University of Bradford and the University of Cambridge, and is a PhD candidate (ABD) in Sociology at University of Cambridge. He teaches and writes on the Islamic intellectual tradition, traditional arts, architecture, and the city, bringing together sociology, intellectual history, and metaphysics to recover an integrated understanding of the built environment, bridging modern mindset to traditional wisdom.

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Recordings will be made available to those who cannot attend the live sessions. We aim to make our programs as accessible as possible. If cost is a barrier, please email [email protected] to discuss available options.

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