Structure and Contents

The Master aims to bring architecture at the heart of the critical debate in universities and society as a whole. The context offered by the Faculty of Architecture is congenial for the study of art history and especially for the history of architecture.

Students of the Master in History and Theory of Art and Architecture will study together with future architects, attend projects critiques and most of all, they can take advantage of a direct exchange with world-renowned architects during dedicated conferences. Last but not least, it is important to know that the USI Academy of Architecture has a strong vocation and an important tradition in the field of humanities. The study plan of the Master also contemplates practical work such as internships or workshops in archives or other institutions, as well as study trips during individual courses to observe buildings and gain experience on the field.

For the Master in History and Theory of Art and Architecture, students can choose between a course entirely focused on historical-artistic subjects (MSTAA 120 ECTS) and a course divided into subjects dealing with historical-artistic subjects and subjects related to the history of literature and related subjects (Maior MSTAA 90 ECTS, Minor MLLCI 30 ECTS).

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  • Study Plan 2024-2026 - MSTAA (120 ECTS)

    The full course of the Master in History and Theory of Art and Architecture aims to provide students with historical, social and methodological knowledge for a solid understanding of the figurative arts, architecture and theories related to them, from Antiquity to the contemporary.

    The compulsory courses focus on the teaching of the main historical-artistic disciplines and the study of the history of restoration, museology, history of art literature and digital humanities, while the optional courses allow the student to deepen their knowledge of topics ranging from architecture of the Roman Empire to the twentieth century, passing through the history of design, photography, cinema, artistic techniques and the evolution of the architect's role over the centuries. The training is completed through workshops or internships in partner institutions.

    At the end of the unique course, the graduate of the Master in History and Theory of Art and Architecture will have acquired the necessary skills to move easily in the academic world and teaching in general, as well as in the areas of conservation and enhancement of cultural heritage.

    Hypothetical study plan: 

    Corsi obbligatori (totale 39 ECTS)

    ECTS, Semestre

    Lingua Docenti

    Luce e oscurità nell'architettura medioevale

    6, SA IT D. Mondini

    Storia dell'arte medievale

    3, SA IT D. Mondini

    Storia dell'arte moderna

    6, SA IT C. Mazzarelli

    Storia dell'arte contemporanea

    6, SA EN T. Bezzola

    Letteratura artistica

    3, SA IT C. Mazzarelli, D. Mondini, M. Moizi

    Methodologies of Art History from the 20th Century of the Present

    3, SA EN C. Frank

    Museologia e museografia

    6, SP IT C. Mazzarelli
    Elaborato teorico

    6, SA/SP

    EN/IT

    A scelta

    Corsi a scelta (totale 45 ECTS)

         

    Enlightenment

    3, SA EN C. Frank

    Design in Italia: 1945-2024

    3, SA IT G. Neri

    Metodi e tecniche del restauro architettonico

    6, SA

    IT

    S. Bettini

    L'architettura in Ticino, 1945-2000

    3, SA IT N. Navone

    Filosofia dello spazio e dell'abitare

    3, SA IT M. Vegetti

    Architettura inclusiva: accessibilità e fruizione dei luoghi della cultura

    3, SA IT A. Bernardi

    Building an Empire: Roman Architecture

    3, SA EN V. Ivanovici

    Elementi di storia e teoria della fotografia

    3, SA

    IT

    V. Tescari

    Sophie Taeuber-Arp (1889-1943) - Artista, architetta e designer

    3, SA

    IT

    S. Martinoli

    Vivere, abitare, costruire nelle Alpi

    3, SA

    IT

    L. Lorenzetti

    Architects and the Urbanization Process

    3, SA

    EN

    A. Bideau

    Storia e teorie del restauro architettonico

    3, SA

    IT

    I. Haupt

    The Red Line. An aesthetic-social study of Milan's first subway line

    3, SA

    EN

    B. Carnevali

    Filosofia e culto della natura

    3, SA

    IT

    M. Jakob

    Storie e poetiche del cinema italiano

    3, SA

    IT

    V. Tescari

    Social Architecture

    3, SA

    EN

    S. Hildebrand

    Future Energy Landscape

    6, SA

    EN

    S. Roesler

    Monumenti al servizio dell'idea di nazione

    3, SA

    IT

    I. Emelianova

    Cinema and Visual Arts

    3, SA

    EN

    V. Tescari

    Transatlantic Architecture: Venturi, Scott Brown and Switzerland

    3, SA

    EN

    F. Grahn

    Architecture on Display

    3, SP

    EN

    C. Frank

    Theory and Criticisms of Contemporary Architecture

    6, SP

    EN

    E. Walker

    Il Rinascimento in Lombardia e nelle terre ticinesi

    3, SP

    IT

    M. Moizi

    Il Bauhaus: un modello concettuale

    3, SP

    IT

    G. Neri

    Why History?

    3, SA EN E. Chestnova

    Video Essay Atelier

    6, SP EN K.B. Lee

    AI in the Humanities

    3, SP IT P. Fornaro

    Bruno Munari e Enzo Mari: design come estetica sociale

    3, SP IT B. Carnevali

    Immagini algoritmiche. Intelligenza artificiale e cultura visuale

    3, SP IT A. Somaini

    Architettura in fotografia

    3, SP IT D. Mondini

    Territorio, storia ambientale e paesaggio storico

    3, SP IT R. Leggero

    Lab 1+2*/Stage (totale 6 ECTS)

         

    Workshop: Peccia. Scultura tra creazione e fruizione del territorio

    3, SP IT G. Mina

    Workshop: URR - Urbino Riuso Restauro

    3, SP IT S. Bettini, C. Mazzarelli, D. Mondini, I. Haupt

    Workshop: Filmare l'architettura

    3, SP EN I. Bäka, L. Lemoine

    Workshop: La fotografia come spazio di negoziazione

    3, SP EN A. Linke

    Tesi di laurea (30 ECTS)

    30, SA/SP EN/IT C. Frank, S. Hildebrand. C. Mazzarelli, D. Mondini, S. Roesler

    The study plan might be subject to changes. 

    *The two LABs (with a total value of 6 ECTS) can be replaced by an internship (6 ECTS).

  • Study Plan 2024-2026 - Major MSTAA (90 ECTS), Minor MLLCI (30 ECTS)

    The Major MSTAA + Minor MLLCI programme consists, on the one hand, of compulsory courses related to subjects connected with the history and theory of art and architecture, which represent the most consistent part of the course itself; on the other hand, of subjects concerning the history of Italian language and literature offered in the Master in Italian Language, Literature and Civilization (MLLCI) of USI.

    This is a double integrated course that allows the student to acquire the fundamental knowledge related both to the main historical-artistic manifestations (figurative arts, architecture and their theories, from the Middle Ages to the contemporary) and to the contemporary cultural expressions of Italian civilization (from prose to poetry, from rhetoric to bibliography and theatre), in interdisciplinary dialogue and in a constant comparison aimed at a better understanding of the society within which they developed.

    At the end of the Maior MSTAA + Minor MLLCI course, the graduate of the Master in History and Theory of Art and Architecture will have acquired the necessary skills to move easily in the academic world and teaching in general, as well as in the fields of conservation and enhancement of cultural heritage.

    Hypothetical study plan:

    Corsi obbligatori (totale 39 ECTS)

    ECTS, Semestre

    Lingua Docenti

    Luce e oscurità nell'architettura medioevale

    6, SA IT D. Mondini

    Storia dell'arte medievale

    3, SA IT D. Mondini

    Storia dell'arte moderna

    6, SA IT C. Mazzarelli

    Storia dell'arte contemporanea

    6, SA EN T. Bezzola

    Letteratura artistica

    3, SA IT C. Mazzarelli, D. Mondini, M. Moizi

    Methodologies of Art History from the 20th Century of the Present

    3, SA EN C. Frank

    Museologia e museografia

    6, SP IT C. Mazzarelli
    Elaborato teorico

    6, SA/SP

    EN/IT

    A scelta

    Corsi a scelta A (totale 21 ECTS)

         

    Architects and the Urbanization Process

    3, SA

    EN

    A. Bideau

    Architettura inclusiva: accessibilità e fruizione dei luoghi della cultura

    3, SA

    IT

    A. Bernardi

    Sophie Taeuber-Arp (1889-1943) - Artista, architetta e designer

    3, SA

    IT

    S. Martinoli

    Building an Empire: Roman Architecture

    3, SA

    EN

    V. Ivanovici

    Deisgn in Italia: 1945-2024

    3, SA

    IT

    G. Neri

    Enlightenment

    3, SA EN C. Frank

    Filosofia dello spazio e dell'abitare

    3, SA IT M. Vegetti

    L'architettura in Ticino, 1945-2000

    3, SA

    IT

    N. Navone

    Monumenti al servizio dell'idea di nazione

    3, SA IT I. Emelianova

    Elementi di storia e teoria della fotografia

    3, SA

    IT

    V. Tescari

    Storia e teorie del restauro architettonico

    3, SA

    IT

    I. Haupt

    Metodi e tecniche del restauro architettonico

    6, SA

    IT

    S. Bettini

    Social Architecture

    3, SA

    EN

    S. Hildebrand

    The Red Line. An aethetic-social study of Milan's first subway line

    3, SA

    IT

    B. Carnevali

    Filosofia e culto della natura

    3, SA

    IT

    M. Jakob

    Future Energy Landscapes

    6, SA

    EN

    S. Roesler

    Vivere, abitare, costruire nelle Alpi

    3, SA

    IT

    L. Lorenzetti

    Transatlantic Architecture: Venturi, Scott Brown and Switzerland

    3, SA

    EN

    F. Grahn

    Monumenti al servizio dell'idea di nazione

    3, SA

    IT

    I. Emelianova

    Cinema and Visual Arts

    3, SA

    EN

    V. Tescari

    Transatlantic Architecture: Venturi, Scott Brown and Switzerland

    3, SA

    EN

    F. Grahn

    Architecture on Display

    3, SP

    EN

    C. Frank

    Theory and Criticisms of Contemporary Architecture

    6, SP

    EN

    E. Walker

    Il Rinascimento in Lombardia e nelle terre ticinesi

    3, SP

    IT

    M. Moizi

    Il Bauhaus: un modello concettuale

    3, SP

    IT

    G. Neri

    Why History?

    3, SA EN E. Chestnova

    Video Essay Atelier

    6, SP EN K.B. Lee

    AI in the Humanities

    3, SP IT P. Fornaro

    Bruno Munari e Enzo Mari: design come estetica sociale

    3, SP IT B. Carnevali

    Immagini algoritmiche. Intelligenza artificiale e cultura visuale

    3, SP

    IT

    A. Somaini

    Architettura in fotografia

    3, SP IT D. Mondini

    Territorio, storia ambientale e paesaggio storico

    3, SP IT R. Leggero

    Corsi a scelta B (totale 30 ECTS)

         

    Argomentazione

    3, SP IT A. Rocci

    Letteratura del Settecento e del primo Ottocento

    6, SA IT G. Bellorini

    Letteratura del secondo Ottocento e del Novecento A

    3, SP IT A. Anedda Angioy

    Storie e poetiche del cinema italiano

    3, SA IT V. Tescari

    Storia del teatro (Master)

    3, SA

    IT

    M. Giovannelli

    Storia della lingua italiana

    3, SA

    IT

    M. Motolese

    Letteratura e libri di testo

    3, SA

    IT

    E. Bisello

    Poesia e traduzione poetica del '900

    3, SA

    IT

    F. Pusterla

    Cinema and Visual Arts

    3, SA

    EN

    V. Tescari

    Cinema and Audiovisual Futures

    6, SA

    EN

    K.B. Lee

    Letteratura italiana (seminario)

    6, SA

    IT

    S. Prandi

    Scrittura e libri nel Medioevo

    3, SA

    IT

    M. Cursi

    Retorica e stilistica

    3, SA

    IT

    A. Paternoster

    Letteratura del secondo Ottocento e del Novecento B

    3, SP

    IT

    G. Jori

    Letteratura medievale e umanistica

    6, SP

    IT

    M. Mocan

    Letteratura del Rinascimento e dell'età barocca

    3, SP

    IT

    S. Prandi

    Linguistica pragmatica

    3, SP

    IT

    J. Miecznikowski

    Letterature comparate (seminario)

    6, SP

    IT

    M. Maggi

    Tesi di laurea (30 ECTS)

    30, SA/SP EN/IT C. Frank, S. Hildebrand. C. Mazzarelli, D. Mondini

    The study plan might be subject to changes.

  • Language

    The Master includes courses in Italian and English, a good understanding of both languages is assumed.
    No certification is required for the admission.

  • Teaching