Surveys, Seminars, and Starchitects: Gender Studies and Architectural History Pedagogy in American Architectural Education

The criticisms leveled at architects and the practice of architecture today are well founded. Women do, indeed, represent a minority in architectural education and as practitioners in the field. Architects do strive for “starchitect” status. And, many architectural projects do emphasize economics over social good. Most recently, architects have come under fire for failing to design for mass appeal. These critiques are not new and have become even more intense in recent years.

Some blame for this situation rests with the pedagogy of architectural history. In most American NAAB-accredited architecture schools, history is relegated to two surveys and two electives. Architectural history surveys privilege “hero” architects and their buildings over just about everything else. At the same time, only about 10% of American architecture schools offer a course on gender and architecture. Even worse, as electives, these courses reach only between 5% and 20% of a school’s student population. If architects are getting the message that being a “starchitect” is what matters, it is because most architectural history curriculums teach them precisely that.

This paper discusses the state of gender studies within American architectural education. It documents existing gender studies courses offered by or in conjunction with architectural schools and quantifies the proliferation and/or absence of such courses. It also surveys the range of approaches to teaching gender and the built environment, and assesses the success or failure of current pedagogical strategies. This paper seeks to start a conversation about the role of architectural history pedagogy in shaping future architects.