About This Course
This course centers on the construction industry in all its facets. The intention is to ensure that students taking it are provided with an in-depth understanding of how the industry evolved from early times to the present day and where the industry may be heading in the future. Equipped with this knowledge, graduates will be in a better position to understand their role in whichever sector of the industry they choose to build their careers, and to contribute to positive change and improvement in how the industry serves its clients. It should be emphasized that this course is neither a history of architectural or engineering design nor of construction technology, but concentrates rather on industry structure, organization and the way it delivers its products.
This course is organized around two primary themes: 1) Historical evolution: how today’s industry was formed, starting in ancient times and continuing through the present; and 2) Future trends and directions: arriving at the end of the story, today’s industry will be reexamined by summarizing what has been learned, addressing current trends, speculating on future longer-term directions.
Sample textbook: Kinder, H. & Hilgemann, W. (2004). Penguin Atlas of World History (Vols. I + II).
Instructor
PhD, history, Northeastern University; MArch, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; BA, Portuguese and Brazilian studies, Brown University
Dr. Alicia Svenson completed her PhD in history at Northeastern University in Boston in 2026. A licensed architect in the state of Massachusetts, she has worked for design and historic preservation consulting firms in New York and Boston with a primary focus on masonry restoration. Alicia's research focuses on the history of building materials and construction, particularly the standardization of brick and stone in the early twentieth century.
- The Construction Industry through Time and Tomorrow (CMGT 4000)