Educating 21st-century architects is focus of J. Irwin Miller Symposium

“Learning/Doing/Thinking: Educating Architects in the 21st Century,” the J. Irwin Miller Symposium, will take place Thursday-Saturday, April 14-16 at the Yale School of Architecture (YSoA).

Convened by Eeva-Liisa Pelkonen, associate professor of architecture, the event will bring together scholars, educators, architects, and administrators to examine inherited models, discuss current trends, and speculate about future challenges of architectural education. The symposium will explore such questions as: What are the major historical models and formats of educational methods? How have disciplinary shifts changed architectural education at various historical moments? What is the ideal balance between critical thinking and learning essential skills and information for practice? This symposium will be held in Hastings Hall, in the Paul Rudolph Building, 180 York St. It is free, but registration is required.

The symposium will begin at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday with an address by Robert A.M. Stern, who is stepping down as dean of YSoA on June 30. The talk, titled “Pedagogy and Place: Celebrating 100 Years of Architecture at Yale,” is based on an exhibition by the same name that is on view through May 7 at the gallery at YSoA.