"Architectural History Around the World: its Teaching Across Undergraduate and Postgraduate Programmes" Interview with Professor Emerita Caroline Bruzelius (Duke University, Durham NC)

A members of the Aistarch’s Internationalisation Group, in early 2023 we launched a survey on the teaching of architectural history in universities around the world. Our aim was to collect information on the ways in which the history of architecture is taught, with which topics and which methodological approaches, and to compare the Italian teaching system to that of other contexts. The participation of many colleagues from a number of countries with different educational systems has made it possible to draw up an initial analysis that became the platform for discussion with Caroline Bruzelius. Participants in the survey come from several countries, making it statistically significant from a geographical point of view; the majority (74%) teach in architecture schools, while most of the others (19%) in art history. At least one third teach three classes. Thematically, many modules (especially those aimed at undergraduate students) deal with the history of architecture in relation to design theory and almost two-thirds are general surveys rather than monographic courses. In both cases, about one-fifth of the classes deal with the modern period (19th- 20th century), while almost half covers the early modern period. These aspects were discussed with Prof. Bruzelius, who, as part of her research, has been experimenting with innovative forms of teaching.