The course will present several critical theories from various disciplines as defined by leading theoreticians during the 20^th century and will explore their relations to the architectural discipline and the spatial realm. The course will be divided into three principal sections, each of which will present a different theoretical question.

The first section will explore the question of architectural representation. In this section we will discuss what an architectural representation is and what the theoretical means for the interpretation of architectural representations are. While concentrating on structuralist and post-structuralist theories of Jean Baudrillard, Jean Francoise Lyotard, and Gilles Deleuze, this section will consider the cases in which representations prevail or fail.

The second section will explore the poetics of architecture. In this section we will turn to phenomenology in order to discuss the poetics of space and of the architectural object. We will concentrate on two main concepts: place as a poetic interpretation of space and architectural craftsmanship as a possibility for poetic expression.

The third section will explore the political significance of the architectural act. In this section we will explore the ways in which architecture creates power relationships in space and means of control and surveillance.