SAH Data Project

COMPLETE A SURVEY | READ THE PROCESS BLOG | ATTEND A PRESENTATION | MEET THE TEAM

The SAH Data Project is gathering quantitative and qualitative information about the status of architectural history as a field in higher education in the United States. The study is supported by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and scheduled to be completed in December 2020. A full report of the findings will be available on the SAH website in early 2021.

Email the researcher, Sarah M. Dreller.
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COMPLETE A SURVEY

CHAIR/ADMINISTRATOR SURVEY

This survey is for anyone who makes curricular decisions about architectural history-focused course offerings at the undergraduate or graduate level in the United States. Download the PDF to help you gather statistics prior to opening the survey online.

FACULTY SURVEY

This survey is for anyone who has served as the instructor of record for at least one architectural history-focused course at the undergraduate or graduate level in the United States.

STUDENT SURVEY

This survey is for current students who have completed at least one architectural history-focused course for undergraduate or graduate credit in the United States.

The surveys will close on May 15, 2020. Anyone requiring accessibility accommodations can contact Sarah M. Dreller at sdreller@sah.org or 312-573-1365.

Are you an architectural historian working outside academia? The SAH Data Project wants to hear from you, too! Non-academic architectural historians will be invited to share their perspectives and contribute to the project later this spring. Sign up here to receive survey news delivered to your inbox.

READ THE PROCESS BLOG

A series of short-form reflections and interviews about the SAH Data Project.

March 2020

Crowdsourcing an FAQ

Now that the SAH Data Project has launched surveys for department chairs, faculty, and students, the project team invites suggestions for our new Frequently Asked Questions. What do you want to know?

January 2020

Teaching Architectural History to Architecture Students: An Interview with Mohammad Gharipour

Advisory Committee member Mohammad Gharipour offers his thoughts on teaching history to architecture students. Gharipour is a historian of the Islamic built environment and professor and director of the Program in Architecture at Morgan State University.

November 2019

What does success look like? and other questions from SACRPH 2019

The SAH Data Project just passed a milestone of sorts: earlier this month, I answered audience questions during the Society for American City and Regional Planning History’s conference in Arlington.

October 2019

What Does It Mean to Study Architectural History?

A “behind-the-scenes” look at the SAH Data Project’s first stakeholder meeting, "Student Perspectives on Architectural History in Higher Education," which convened in Chicago on October 3-4, 2019.

September 2019

Four Questions for a Community College Architectural History Instructor

The SAH Data Project's newest Advisory Committee member, Ashley Gardini, shares her perspective as an adjunct instructor of architectural history at Diablo Valley College.

July 2019

Where is Architectural History Thriving?

A concrete example of how we’re infusing humanism into our data-gathering work and a few suggestions for further reading.

June 2019

How to Start?

A description of the SAH Data Project and some steps we’ve taken to begin the study in a purposeful way.

ATTEND A PRESENTATION

Look for workshops/panels about the project at the following conferences.

Society for American City and Regional Planning History
October 31–November 3, 2019
Arlington, Virginia

Session 3B, Shaping the Field of Planning History
Friday, November 1
Session 3, 4:15–6:00 pm
Room: Liberty (14th Floor)
Sarah M. Dreller, Planning Historians and the SAH Data Project
(See p. 19 of the conference program)

College Art Association
February 12–15, 2020
Chicago, Illinois

Q&A during SAH’s Business Meeting
Wednesday, February 12, 12:30-1:30pm
Hilton Chicago – 4^th Floor – 4K

Society of Architectural Historians
April 29–May 3, 2020
Seattle, Washington

SAH Data Project Display Table and Q&A Conversations

Canceled due to COVID-19 crisis.

Global Architectural History Teaching Collaborative
Fall 2020
Berkeley, California

Postponed until further notice.

National Humanities Alliance
November 5–8, 2020
Indianapolis, Indiana

Postponed until further notice.

MEET THE TEAM

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS

Sandy

SANDY ISENSTADT
President
Society of Architectural Historians
Professor, Department of Art History
University of Delaware

Pauline

PAULINE SALIGA
Executive Director
Society of Architectural Historians

RESEARCHER

Sarah

SARAH M. DRELLER
Postdoctoral Researcher in the Humanities
Society of Architectural Historians
EMAIL

ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Abby

ABIGAIL VAN SLYCK
Chair of the Advisory Committee
Dayton Professor of Art History
Connecticut College

Victoria

VICTORIA YOUNG
First Vice President
Society of Architectural Historians
Professor, Department of Art History
University of St. Thomas

ASHLEY GARDINI
Adjunct Instructor, Department of Architecture/Engineering
Diablo Valley College

Mohammad

MOHAMMAD GHARIPOUR
Director, Program in Architecture
Morgan State University

Michael

MICHAEL LEE
Professor, History of Landscape Architecture
University of Virginia

Bill

BILL LITTMANN
Senior Adjunct
California College of the Arts

Martha

MARTHA MCNAMARA
Director, New England Arts and Architecture Program
Wellsley College

Jorge

JORGE OTERO-PAILOS
Professor, Architecture, Planning and Preservation
Columbia University GSAPP

Robert

ROBERT TOWNSEND
Director of Humanities Indicators
Director of Washington Office
American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Amber2

AMBER N. WILEY
Assistant Professor, Department of Art History
Rutgers University

STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS

October 3 & 4, 2019
Student Perspectives on Architectural History in Higher Education

The ten stakeholders discussed what studying the history of the built environment means today and help develop specific questions for the project's online student survey. Participants represented a range of institution types around the country and will reflect on their student experiences in BA, BArch, MA, MArch, MLA, PhD, and historic preservation programs.

For a "behind the scenes" look at the stakeholder meeting, see "What Does It Mean to Study Architectural History?" on the Process Blog.

April 2 & 3, 2020

Trends in Architectural History’s Academic Programs and Organizations

Presidents and executive directors of eight organizations that are concerned with architectural history in higher education will discuss change over time in academic programs and organizations that are focused on architectural, landscape, and urban history.

Summer 2020
Theme TBD

Fall 2020
Theme TBD