This course will use the magnificent architecture of Rome and its environs to help students understand the broad historical trajectory of western culture. We will explore the rise of the Roman empire, the impact of Christianity on in the late antique and medieval periods, the dramatic innovations of the Italian renaissance, and the Fascist architecture and cosmopolitan modernism of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.  This course, which involves numerous walking-tours and site visits, will not only give students first-hand familiarity with some of the globe’s most iconic architectural monuments (the Colosseum, the Sistine Chapel), but it will reveal the importance of considering the meaning of those architectural monuments within the historical context of their production as well as their subsequent “life” within the evolving landscape of the Eternal City.  By learning to think about the past and present meanings of the city’s neighborhoods, palaces, churches and museums, students will gain a deeper understanding of Rome as a city and the importance of historical inquiry within modern society. The role of migration to Rome in history may be a special topic connecting it with the studio. The course will be taught by a guest professor(s) in Europe.