The seminar deals with the ethical foundations of scientific work in the field of architecture. Discussed will be that ethics means on a theoretical level. On the one hand, we are concerned with a writing practice that takes responsibility for the content of our text. On the other hand, we ask what is meant by scientific thinking in the field of architecture.

The seminar serves as an introduction into the history of Swiss monument preservation and its most important institutions. The preservation of monuments is discussed in relation to historical and social developments in Switzerland.

In the seminar, selected texts on architectural theory and monument preservation are read together and discussed in plenary. The focus is on selected writings from John Ruskin, Gottfried Semper and Friedrich Nietzsche to Alois Riegl and Adolf Loos to Walter Benjamin, Aleida Assmann and Peter Zumthor.

The course provides an overview of theory formation in heritage conservation. The focus is on European history and German-language texts.