Save this picture! The Trays at Harvard GSD. Image © Kris Snibbe/Harvard University News Office

The Harvard Graduate School of Design has announced a new, free online course entitled "The Architectural Imagination." Taught by the school's Eliot Noyes Professor of Architectural Theory K. Michael Hays alongside Professor of Architectural History Erika Naginski and G. Ware Travelstead Professor of the History of Architecture and Technology Antoine Picon, the course is advertised as "introductory" level and described as teaching "how to 'read' architecture as a cultural expression as well as a technical achievement." It will be delivered through edX, a platform for high-quality massive open online courses (MOOCs) which was founded by Harvard and MIT in 2012.

"Architecture is one of the most complexly negotiated and globally recognized cultural practices, both as an academic subject and a professional career," explains the course description. "Its production involves all of the technical, aesthetic, political, and economic issues at play within a given society. Over the course of ten modules, we’ll examine some of history’s most important examples that show how architecture engages, mediates, and expresses a culture’s complex aspirations."

The course from Harvard GSD will join other architectural courses hosted on edX from institutions including MIT, ETH Zurich, and the University of Tokyo. Starting on February 28th, the course is free, but students can receive a verified certificate of completion of the course for an additional $99.

Those interested in the course can enroll here, or see other courses offered through edX here.

News via Harvard GSD.