Berlin: History, Architecture, and Urbanism in Faust’s Metropolis (in English) In this course we will investigate the rich and complicated built environment of Berlin. By looking at both visual evidence and textual sources we will uncover how the city has been transformed from a cultural backwater during the early modern period to the current capital of a reunified Germany. By the conclusion of this course, you will be comfortable “reading” buildings and spaces and will be able to navigate both the physical city of Berlin and the many layers of history buried within.

An Introduction to Global Visual Culture This course is an introduction to the visual cultures of the world, with an emphasis on how images, objects, and monuments are made, experienced, exchanged, and used by groups of people with diverse religious, socio-economic, and cultural backgrounds. We will focus on themes that have been taken up by different cultures and adapted over time, such as monumentality, the sacred, embodiment, science, and technology. Through a close study of these themes, we will consider how materials, cultures, and histories are transformed and negotiated through making and viewing works of art. In the process, we will challenge the art historical canon by shedding light on marginalized periods, regions, and artworks.

Gender and the Making of Space In this course we will investigate the complex relationship between gender and architecture, examining how the design of the built environment (buildings, urban spaces, etc.) can reinforce or undermine ideas about the respective roles of women and men in society, from the creation of masculine and feminine spaces to the gendered nature of the architectural profession.  By looking at both visual evidence and textual sources we will also uncover how the social construction of gender roles and gendered spaces are, and continue to be, inflected by race, class, and sexuality.  Not open to students who have taken FYSE 1407.

Modern Architecture Rotating skyscrapers, green roofs, and avant-garde museums: how did we arrive in the architectural world of the early 21st century? In this course we will survey the major stylistic developments, new building types, and new technologies that have shaped European and American architecture since the late 18th century. Students will learn about the work of major architects as well as key architectural theories and debates. Special emphasis will be placed on the cultural and political contexts in which buildings are designed. 2  hrs. Lect./1 hr. disc.

Senior Thesis Research Seminar In this course students will conceive, undertake research, and plan the organization of their senior thesis in art history or senior museum studies projects.  Seminar discussions and workshops will focus on research strategies, conventions in art historical writing, project design, and public presentation skills. (HARC 0301; Approval Required) 3 hr. sem.

The Rise and Fall of Detroit: Urban Histories and Architectural Fragments In this class, we will investigate the rich and complicated built environment of Detroit. By looking at both visual evidence and textual sources we will uncover how the city was transformed from its roots as a trading outpost into an industrial powerhouse and “arsenal of democracy,” and then became synonymous with urban “blight,” racial animus, and ruin tourism. We will orient ourselves to the different neighborhoods of Metro Detroit, diving into the past as we examine the buildings, monuments, and landmarks—both existing and destroyed—that constitute the city.  Together, we will create a map of the city, which we will add to and adulterate through the term. This shared work will help serve as the basis for informal discussions and presentations throughout the term. By the conclusion of this course, you will be comfortable “reading” buildings and spaces and will be able to navigate both the physical city of Detroit and the many layers of (contentious) history buried within. An interdisciplinary endeavor, this course draws on writings by architectural historians, landscape historians, art historians, anthropologists, geographers, urban historians, scholars from ethnic studies and cultural studies, among many others. This course is part of the Axinn Center for the Humanities’ Mellon Foundation Public Humanities Initiative.

Senior Thesis: Research and Writing This course is a continuation of HARC 0710 which consists of ongoing, supervised independent research, plus organizing, writing and presenting a senior thesis. (HARC 0301 and HARC 0710).

The State of Emergency and its Aftermaths: Kitchen Design to Counter-History In this class we will uncover how architecture and design have mitigated and exacerbated the human tragedy of modern industrialized war in the 20th century. Taking the First World War and its inheritances as a through line to the present-day refugee crisis, we will discover how conflicts have manifested spatially (refugee camps to military installations, villages to capital cities), how design cultures of education, care, and memory emerged from battle and conditions of scarcity, and how war often blurred the meaning of what constitutes “architecture.” Shifting the focus from trenches, monuments, and imperial building projects to the architecture of the everyday, we will think about the politics of food systems and garden design, urban (and rural) recovery and reconstruction efforts, the creation of ephemeral and ad-hoc architectures, the role of mechanization, technology, and governmentality, and the gendered implications of states of emergency. This course is part of the Public Humanities Labs Initiative administered by the Axinn Center for the Humanities.*

Home: The Why Behind the Way We Live In this course we will examine the development of numerous housing types in America (with references to Europe).  The prevalence of the single-family home today and its importance as the symbol of the “American dream” was never a forgone conclusion. In fact, the American home has been the focus of and battleground for cooperative movements, feminism, municipal socialism, benevolent capitalism, and government interventions on a national scale.

Erin Sassin

Reviews and ratings for Erin Sassin at Middlebury College.Erin Sassin teaches Faust's Metropolis: Berlin, Intro to Global Visual Culture, Gender and the Making of Space and more.  Explore top rated instructors and find the best for you.Is Erin Sassin good ? Find out on MiddCourses.

If you take this course, you NEED to take extremely good notes as the quizzes are entirely reliant on the readings and lectures. The first half of the course is much easier than the second half, as the concepts get more complicated. Your grades are mainly reliant on the two quizzes and the final exam, all written short essay questions. I would recommend if you are interested in the history of architecture, but if you are looking for a more hands on architecture class, that it not what the class is about. Sassin is a treat, she is very sweet and loves to talk to you. 

In this class, we learned about various architects and their works, understanding how gender has influenced the spaces they've created. It forced me to think about how gender permeates every part of our society. I enjoyed how each class revolved around an open discussion of the assigned readings. Professor Sassin is very passionate about the content, and she makes the class very enjoyable!

I love Sassin she is very engaging with the content she teaches in lectures. She is understanding and willing to walk things through in office hours. There is a lot of readings during for every class but not many assignments.