ARCH402 Contemporary Architectural Theory
Syllabus | International University of Sarajevo - Last Update on Oct 10, 2025
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Architecture
Mejrema Zatrić-Šahović
Course Lecturer
Course Objectives
The Course presents foundational debates of architectural modernism, as well as post-modernist reactions and the continuation of these debates into contemporary architecture. It interprets their intersections with the history of philosophy, history of technology and cultural studies. Stresses the relationship between theory of architecture and exemplary architectural and urbanistic works from the 1920s to the present.
Learning Outcomes
After successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:
Course Materials
Required Textbook
K. Michael Hays (ed), Architecture Theory since 1968, The MIT Press, 2000; Kate Nesbitt (ed), Theorizing a New Agenda for Architecture, An Anthology of Architectural Theory 1965-1995 , Priceton Architectural Press, 1997.
Additional Literature
Additional literature will be provided throughout the course as required.Teaching Methods
Teach will comprise of lectures
And class discussions. Set readings will form a key component of the teaching practice
Weekly Topics
| Week | Topic | Readings / References |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction: What is architectural Theory? | |
| 2 | The Project of Modernity | Reyner Banham, "Introduction," in Theory and Design in the First Machine Age, 1960 |
| 3 | Postmodernism – Architectural responses to the crisis within modernism | Jurgen Habermas, "Modern and Postmodern Architecture," 1981 |
| 4 | Postmodern Architectural Themes | Michael Graves, "A Case for Figurative Architecture," 1982 |
| 5 | Postmodern Urban Theory | Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown, "A significance for A&P parking lots or Learning from las Vegas," 1968 |
| 6 | Historicism | Alan Colquhoun, "Three Kinds of Historicism," 1983 |
| 7 | Regionalism | Kenneth Frampton, "Prospects for a Critical Regionalism," 1983 |
| 8 | Mid Term Exam | |
| 9 | Late Capitalism and Consumerism | Frederic Jameson, “Postmodernism, or the Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism,” 1984 |
| 10 | Autonomy | Robert Somol and Sarah Whiting, " Notes around the Doppler Effect and Other Moods of Modernism," 2002 |
| 11 | Authorship | Roland Barthes, "The death of the author," 1977 |
| 12 | Media | Robin Evans, "Figures, doors and passages," 1978 |
| 13 | Control | Michel Foucault, "Panopticism," 1975 |
| 14 | New Materialism, Extractivism, Geography | Mark Jarzombek, "The Quadrivium Industrial Complex," 2019 and "A House Deconstructed, an uncertainty manifesto," 2021 |
| 15 | Recap |
Course Schedule (All Sections)
| Section | Type | Day 1 | Venue 1 | Day 2 | Venue 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARCH402.1 | Course | Monday 13:00 - 14:50 | B F2.4 | - | - |
Office Hours & Room
| Day | Time | Office | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 15:00 - 16:00 | ||
| Tuesday | 15:00 - 16:00 | ||
| Thursday | 13:00 - 16:00 |
Assessment Methods and Criteria
Assessment Components
Final Exam
AI: Not AllowedAlignment with Learning Outcomes : 1 2 3
In-term Exam
AI: Not AllowedAlignment with Learning Outcomes : 1 2 3
In-class Exercises
AI: Not AllowedAlignment with Learning Outcomes : 1 2 3
Assignment
AI: Not AllowedAlignment with Learning Outcomes : 1 2 3
IUS Grading System
| Grading Scale | IUS Grading System | IUS Coeff. | Letter (B&H) | Numerical (B&H) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 - 44 | F | 0 | F | 5 |
| 45 - 54 | E | 1 | ||
| 55 - 64 | C | 2 | E | 6 |
| 65 - 69 | C+ | 2.3 | D | 7 |
| 70 -74 | B- | 2.7 | ||
| 75 - 79 | B | 3 | C | 8 |
| 80 - 84 | B+ | 3.3 | ||
| 85 - 94 | A- | 3.7 | B | 9 |
| 95 - 100 | A | 4 | A | 10 |
Late Work Policy
Information about late submission policies will be shared during class and posted in this section. Please check back for official guidelines.
ECTS Credit Calculation
📚 Student Workload
This 4 ECTS credit course corresponds to 100 hours of total student workload, distributed as follows:
Lecture Hours
14 hours ⏳ (14 week × 1 h)
In-class Exercises
14 hours ⏳ (14 week × 1 h)
Home Study
30 hours ⏳ (15 week × 2 h)
In-term exam study
10 hours ⏳ (1 week × 10 h)
Final Exam Study
16 hours ⏳ (2 week × 8 h)
Assignment
16 hours ⏳ (8 week × 2 h)
100 Total Workload Hours
4 ECTS Credits
Course Policies
Academic Integrity
All work submitted must be your own. Plagiarism, cheating, or any form of academic dishonesty will result in disciplinary action according to university policies. When in doubt about citation practices, consult the instructor.
Attendance Policy
Students are expected to adhere to the attendance requirements as outlined in the International University of Sarajevo Study Rules and Regulations. Excessive absences, whether excused or unexcused, may impact academic performance and eligibility for assessment. Mandatory sessions (e.g., labs, workshops) require attendance unless formally exempted. For detailed policies on absences, documentation, and penalties, please refer to the official university regulations.
Technology & AI Policy
Laptops/tablets may be used for note-taking only during lectures. Phones should be silenced and put away during all class sessions. Audio/video recording requires prior permission from the instructor.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Usage: The use of AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini) varies by assessment component. Please refer to the AI usage indicator next to each assessment item in the Assessment Methods and Criteria section above. Submitting AI-generated content as your own work, where AI is not explicitly allowed, constitutes an academic integrity violation.
Communication Policy
All course-related communication should occur through official university channels (institutional email or SIS). Emails should include [ARCH402] in the subject line.
Academic Quality Assurance Policy
Course Academic Quality Assurance is achieved through Semester Student Survey. At the end of each academic year, the institution of higher education is obliged to evaluate work of the academic staff, or the success of realization of the curricula.
Learning Tips
Be prepared to contribute thoughtfully during class discussions, labs, or collaborative work. Active participation deepens understanding and encourages critical thinking.
Complete assigned readings or prep materials before class. Take notes, highlight key ideas, and jot down questions. Aim to grasp core concepts and their applications—not just facts.
Use course frameworks or methodologies to analyze problems, case studies, or projects. Begin early to allow time for reflection and refinement. Seek feedback to improve your work.
Don’t hesitate to reach out when something is unclear. Use office hours, discussion boards, or peer networks to clarify concepts and stay on track.
Syllabus Last Updated on Oct 10, 2025 | International University of Sarajevo
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Referencing Curricula Print this page
| Course Code | Course Title | Weekly Hours* | ECTS | Weekly Class Schedule | ||||||
| T | P | |||||||||
| ARCH402 | Contemporary Architectural Theory | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||||||
| Prerequisite | ARCH209-6 | It is a prerequisite to | - | |||||||
| Lecturer | Mejrema Zatrić-Šahović | Office Hours / Room / Phone | Monday: 15:00-16:00 Tuesday: 15:00-16:00 Thursday: 13:00-16:00 |
|||||||
| mzatric-sahovic@ius.edu.ba | ||||||||||
| Assistant | Assistant E-mail | |||||||||
| Course Objectives | The Course presents foundational debates of architectural modernism, as well as post-modernist reactions and the continuation of these debates into contemporary architecture. It interprets their intersections with the history of philosophy, history of technology and cultural studies. Stresses the relationship between theory of architecture and exemplary architectural and urbanistic works from the 1920s to the present. | |||||||||
| Textbook | K. Michael Hays (ed), Architecture Theory since 1968, The MIT Press, 2000; Kate Nesbitt (ed), Theorizing a New Agenda for Architecture, An Anthology of Architectural Theory 1965-1995 , Priceton Architectural Press, 1997. | |||||||||
| Additional Literature |
|
|||||||||
| Learning Outcomes | After successful completion of the course, the student will be able to: | |||||||||
|
||||||||||
| Teaching Methods | Teach will comprise of lectures, and class discussions. Set readings will form a key component of the teaching practice | |||||||||
| Teaching Method Delivery | Face-to-face | Teaching Method Delivery Notes | ||||||||
| WEEK | TOPIC | REFERENCE | ||||||||
| Week 1 | Introduction: What is architectural Theory? | |||||||||
| Week 2 | The Project of Modernity | Reyner Banham, "Introduction," in Theory and Design in the First Machine Age, 1960 | ||||||||
| Week 3 | Postmodernism – Architectural responses to the crisis within modernism | Jurgen Habermas, "Modern and Postmodern Architecture," 1981 | ||||||||
| Week 4 | Postmodern Architectural Themes | Michael Graves, "A Case for Figurative Architecture," 1982 | ||||||||
| Week 5 | Postmodern Urban Theory | Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown, "A significance for A&P parking lots or Learning from las Vegas," 1968 | ||||||||
| Week 6 | Historicism | Alan Colquhoun, "Three Kinds of Historicism," 1983 | ||||||||
| Week 7 | Regionalism | Kenneth Frampton, "Prospects for a Critical Regionalism," 1983 | ||||||||
| Week 8 | Mid Term Exam | |||||||||
| Week 9 | Late Capitalism and Consumerism | Frederic Jameson, “Postmodernism, or the Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism,” 1984 | ||||||||
| Week 10 | Autonomy | Robert Somol and Sarah Whiting, " Notes around the Doppler Effect and Other Moods of Modernism," 2002 | ||||||||
| Week 11 | Authorship | Roland Barthes, "The death of the author," 1977 | ||||||||
| Week 12 | Media | Robin Evans, "Figures, doors and passages," 1978 | ||||||||
| Week 13 | Control | Michel Foucault, "Panopticism," 1975 | ||||||||
| Week 14 | New Materialism, Extractivism, Geography | Mark Jarzombek, "The Quadrivium Industrial Complex," 2019 and "A House Deconstructed, an uncertainty manifesto," 2021 | ||||||||
| Week 15 | Recap | |||||||||
| Assessment Methods and Criteria | Evaluation Tool | Quantity | Weight | Alignment with LOs | AI Usage |
| Final Exam | 1 | 30 | 1,2,3 | Not Allowed | |
| Semester Evaluation Components | |||||
| In-term Exam | 1 | 20 | 1,2,3 | Not Allowed | |
| In-class Exercises | 14 | 30 | 1,2,3 | Not Allowed | |
| Assignment | 2 | 20 | 1,2,3 | Not Allowed | |
| *** ECTS Credit Calculation *** | |||||
| Activity | Hours | Weeks | Student Workload Hours | Activity | Hours | Weeks | Student Workload Hours | |||
| Lecture Hours | 1 | 14 | 14 | In-class Exercises | 1 | 14 | 14 | |||
| Home Study | 2 | 15 | 30 | In-term exam study | 10 | 1 | 10 | |||
| Final Exam Study | 8 | 2 | 16 | Assignment | 2 | 8 | 16 | |||
| Total Workload Hours = | 100 | |||||||||
| *T= Teaching, P= Practice | ECTS Credit = | 4 | ||||||||
| Course Academic Quality Assurance: Semester Student Survey | Last Update Date: 02/10/2025 | |||||||||