Assigned readings for each lecture session are from the course textbook: 
Ching, Francis, Mark Jarzombek, and Vikram Prakash. A Global History of Architecture. 2nd ed. John Wiley & Sons, 2010. ISBN: 9780470402573.
| SES # | TOPICS | READINGS |
|---|---|---|
| L1 | First societies | |
| L2 | The Gravettians and the hunting tradition of the north | pp. xi–xv. |
| L3 | The Holocene and the agro-pastoral emergence | pp. 1–4. |
| L4 | Grains, animals and the village world | pp. 5–16. |
| L5 | Cities, gods and empires | pp. 17–51. |
| L6 | Pits, granaries and boats: the sacred section | |
| L7 | 1500 BCE: After the Cataclysm: Knossos and Karnak | pp. 55–80. |
| L8 | 800 BCE: Iron and the New World Order: Greeks, Etruscans, Assyrians | pp. 85–7, and 98–112. |
| L9 | 500 BCE: Persia and Central Asia | pp. 113–45. |
| L10 | Fire, water and chariots | pp. 93–7. |
| L11 | Buddhism: Out of India | pp. 173–82, 214–8, and 235–43. |
| L12 | Chang'an | pp. 148–50, 183–5, and 219–21. |
| L13 | Rome | pp. 151–72. |
| L14 | Rome (cont.) | pp. 191–213. |
| L15 | The Americas | pp. 52–4, 81–91, 222–8, 257–9, 264–7, 328–39, and 475–82. |
| L16 | Early Christian transitions | pp. 229–56, and 268–75. |
| L17 | Early Islam: 800 CE | pp. 293–327. |
| L18 | From Armenia to Borobudur | pp. 276–92. |
| L19 | Early Hindu architecture | pp. 340–55. |
| L20 | Southeast Asia and Angkor Wat | pp. 392–7. |
| L21 | Gothic architecture: Cistercians & cathedrals | pp. 362–78, and 417–25. |
| L22 | Late medieval Europe: Renaissance in perspective | pp. 426–7, and 460–9. |
| L23 |
History and time UNESCO & cultural nationalism | pp. 762–90. |
| L24 | Colonial worlds | No readings assigned. |
| L25 | Final review session |