Thailand boasts a vast and significant cultural and architectural history that spans thousands of years, and is presently in the process of globalization and urbanization. It is a dynamic and proud country engaged in modernization and the challenges presented by globalization and urbanization. This Global Study course is based in Bangkok and its surroundings. We will also join faculty and students from King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang (KMITL) in Bangkok on a bus tour to Northern Thailand, visiting Ayutthaya, Lampang, Sukhothai, Chiang Mai, among other locations.
The lectures, tours, and excursion will provide a broad introduction to the cultural and architectural traditions -- from the vernacular to urbanism, from temples and palaces to the hectic pace of urban Bangkok. Many of the most significant accomplishments in the history of global architecture are represented. This is an exclusive opportunity to study first-hand the majesty of such great traditions of architecture under-appreciated in the West.