History of Architecture and Urbanism Society
The History of Architecture and Urbanism Society (HAUS) consists of graduate students in the History of Architecture and Urban Development (HAUD) Ph.D. program, as well as other interested graduate and AAP students. HAUS coordinates various events, including lectures, workshops, film screenings, symposia, and field trips.
In fall 2024, HAUS organized three events as part of our professionalization workshops and Under Construction lecture series. The semester began with an Archival Show-and-Tell event on September 27, where HAUS members presented artifacts from their archival research and shared their discovery processes. Each semester, HAUS organizes Under Construction, a lecture series for HAUD graduate students and visiting scholars from related disciplines to present works in progress. On October 23, Asya Ece Uzmay (Ph.D. HAUD '26) presented a chapter from her dissertation, followed by respondent feedback and a Q&A session as part of Under Construction. HAUS's fall semester activities concluded with a Strategies in Professionalization workshop led by Associate Professor of Architecture Pamela Karimi (HAUD) on November 21, focusing on practical approaches to professional development in architectural history.
In spring 2025, HAUS hosted four more Strategies in Professionalization and Under Construction events. On February 11, Assistant Professor of Architecture María Gonzáles Pendás (HAUD) led a grant-writing workshop. On February 14, Aslihan Gunhan (Ph.D. HAUD '24) led "Historian's Craft," a discussion of archival work and evidence treatment with HAUD and other Ph.D. students, followed by a Q&A and workshop-style exercise. On March 18, Under Construction showcased a research paper by Piergianna Mazzocca (Ph.D. HAUD '28), with a designated respondent followed by a Q&A discussion. Finally, on May 8, HAUS's Under Construction hosted Professor Neil Brenner, Professor of Urban Sociology from the University of Chicago, for a day-long program including a workshop on theory and methods for urban theory and planning students, a reading group discussion on "New Urban Spaces," and a public lecture.
Additionally, we hosted two invited speaker events as part of our engagement with AAP's Spring 2025 collegewide lecture series. On April 14, Professor of Religion Courtney Bender from Columbia University delivered a lecture titled "Skyborn Spiritualities and the Shaping of American Spatial Imaginations," followed by a workshop and discussion. On April 21, Assistant Professor Amanda Lanzillo from the University of Chicago's Department of South Asian Languages and Civilizations led a lunchtime discussion on her new book, Pious Labor: Islam, Artisanship and Technology in Colonial India. HAUS also supported AAP students who, as part of a class on the topic, (re)created a series of public exhibitions under the theme: "Building Exhibitions in the Age of Reparations," held on April 23.
In the past, HAUS has organized and/or helped coordinate workshops with visiting scholars spanning related disciplines, including Mabel O. Wilson of Columbia University, Philip Ursprung of ETH Zurich, and Ijlal Muzaffar from RISD. HAUS plans to continue previous initiatives in the 2025–26 academic year, as well as to expand the organization's reach, and further engage the community through events, workshops, and symposia.
Get Involved
If you are interested in participating in HAUS events and activities, please get in touch with current HAUS co-presidents, Sara Ather (Ph.D. HAUD '31) (sa2396@cornell.edu) or Yakin Kinger (Ph.D. HAUD '31) (yak8@cornell.edu).
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This organization is a registered student organization of Cornell University.
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