Architecture is a physical manifestation of power, identity, and history. This course offers a transformative framework for understanding the built environment through the lens of Blackness as both an identity and a lived experience. In an era where urban equity and social justice are at the forefront of global discourse, this course provides the critical fluency needed to deconstruct spatial inequalities and imagine more inclusive futures.
The Museum of Modern Art will take you beyond traditional blueprints to hear directly from a global collective of Black architects, scholars, and artists who are reclaiming stories erased by systemic racism. By exploring how creators use diverse mediums—from hip-hop and fiction to textiles and technology—you will analyze how Black makers have historically shaped, and continue to transform, the world around us. Whether you are a student of architecture or urban studies or a professional in design, policy, or the arts, this course will shift your perspective from observing the built environment to actively reimagining it as a space for collective liberation.
What's included
5 videos11 readings1 assignment
Show info about module content
5 videos•Total 17 minutes
Preview Reimagining Blackness and Architecture•1 minute
Charles Davis on the expansive field of architecture•5 minutes
Adrienne Brown on the Reconstruction era•5 minutes
Kara Walker on 40 Acres of Mules, 2015•3 minutes
Deana Lawson on Nation, 2017•3 minutes
11 readings•Total 110 minutes
Welcome to the course!•10 minutes
Guide to Module 1•10 minutes
Getting started: How does this course work?•10 minutes
Interview with Sean Anderson and Mabel Wilson•10 minutes
An artist confronts history•10 minutes
The Black Reconstruction Collective•10 minutes
What is architecture?•10 minutes
Key terms•10 minutes
Optional readings and resources•10 minutes
Ground rules for engagement•10 minutes
Optional prompts for discussion, reflection, and creative response•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
Module 1 Quiz•30 minutes
Imagination
Module 2•2 hours to complete
Module details
What's included
5 videos8 readings1 assignment
Show info about module content
5 videos•Total 20 minutes
Walter J. Hood on Black Towers / Black Power•5 minutes
Germane Barnes on A Spectrum of Blackness•5 minutes
Pope.L on The Black Factory Archive, 2003–ongoing•2 minutes
Michelle Joan Wilkinson on representation and Black space•4 minutes
Garrett Bradley and Donna Crump on America, 2019•4 minutes
8 readings•Total 80 minutes
Introduction to this week•10 minutes
Walter Hood, Black Towers / Black Power•10 minutes
Germane Barnes, A Spectrum of Blackness•10 minutes
What is Blackness?•10 minutes
New ways of seeing•10 minutes
Advice for emerging architects and creatives•10 minutes
Optional readings and resources•10 minutes
Optional prompts for discussion, reflection, and creative response•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
Module 2 Quiz•30 minutes
Care
Module 3•2 hours to complete
Module details
What's included
6 videos8 readings1 assignment
Show info about module content
6 videos•Total 28 minutes
J. Yolande Daniels on Black City: The Los Angeles Edition•6 minutes
Sekou Cooke on We Outchea: Hip Hop Fabrications and Public Space•5 minutes
Audrey Petty on High Rise Stories•4 minutes
Zora J Murff on the series At No Point in Between, 2018–19•8 minutes
Betye Saar on "Keep for Old Memiors", 1976•2 minutes
Maren Hassinger on Leaning, 1980•2 minutes
8 readings•Total 80 minutes
Introduction to this week•10 minutes
J. Yolande Daniels, Black City: The Los Angeles Edition•10 minutes
Sekou Cooke, We Outchea: Hip Hop Fabrications and Public Space•10 minutes
The tender lenses of two photographers•10 minutes
Artists repurposing objects and salvaging materials•10 minutes
Optional readings and resources•10 minutes
Optional prompts for discussion, reflection, and creative response•10 minutes
Optional mid-course survey•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
Module 3 Quiz•30 minutes
Knowledge
Module 4•2 hours to complete
Module details
What's included
5 videos9 readings1 assignment
Show info about module content
5 videos•Total 18 minutes
Amanda Williams on We’re Not Down There, We’re Over Here•5 minutes
Olalekan Jeyifous on The Frozen Neighborhoods•6 minutes
Jacob Lawrence, The Migration Series, 1940–41•2 minutes
Willie Cole on Domestic ID III and IV, 1991–92•2 minutes
Lorna Simpson on Wigs, 1994•3 minutes
9 readings•Total 90 minutes
Introduction to this week•10 minutes
Amanda Williams, We’re Not Down There, We’re Over Here•10 minutes
Olalekan Jeyifous, The Frozen Neighborhoods•10 minutes
Portfolio: Bodys Isek Kingelez•10 minutes
Portraits of yesterday•10 minutes
The magic of stories•10 minutes
Artifacts for the future•10 minutes
Optional readings and resources•10 minutes
Optional prompts for discussion, reflection, and creative response•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
Module 4 Quiz•30 minutes
Refusal
Module 5•2 hours to complete
Module details
What's included
7 videos8 readings1 assignment
Show info about module content
7 videos•Total 24 minutes
Emanuel Admassu on Immeasurability•5 minutes
V. Mitch McEwen on R:R•6 minutes
Robert McNeill, The Bronx Slave Market series, 1937•2 minutes
V. Mitch McEwen on Philip Johnson, Architecture, and White Supremacy•4 minutes
Faith Ringgold on American People Series #20: Die, 1967•4 minutes
Robin Coste Lewis reads a poem on Barbara Chase-Riboud, The Albino, 1972•1 minute
Melvin Edwards on Lynch Fragment Series, 1986–89•2 minutes
8 readings•Total 80 minutes
Introduction to this week•10 minutes
Emanuel Admassu, Immeasurability•10 minutes
V. Mitch McEwen, R:R•10 minutes
Artists making their own stories•10 minutes
Artists making their own path•10 minutes
Artists refusing expectations•10 minutes
Optional readings and resources•10 minutes
Optional prompts for discussion, reflection, and creative response•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
Module 5 Quiz•30 minutes
Liberation
Module 6•3 hours to complete
Module details
What's included
5 videos10 readings1 assignment
Show info about module content
5 videos•Total 22 minutes
Felecia Davis on Fabricating Networks: Transmissions and Receptions from Pittsburgh’s Hill District•6 minutes
Mario Gooden on The Refusal of Space•6 minutes
Justin Garrett Moore on Architectures of Difference•4 minutes
The Museum of Modern Art is a place that fuels creativity, ignites minds, and provides inspiration. Join us in exploring the art, ideas, and issues of our time through the Modern and Contemporary Art and Design Specialization or through individual courses: Modern Art & Ideas, Seeing Through Photographs, What Is Contemporary Art?, Fashion as Design, and In the Studio: Postwar Abstract Painting. Learn about teaching with art in our three courses designed for K-12 educators: Art & Inquiry, Art & Activity, and Art & Ideas.
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M
MG
5·
Reviewed on Apr 20, 2021
The course designers did a great job including so much important information in six weeks.
K
KK
5·
Reviewed on Apr 26, 2021
An engaging, well-paced, critical course. Would recommend to all architects.
F
FD
5·
Reviewed on Nov 27, 2025
I loved the visuals and videos from the many different architects and creators. It was inspiring and instructional. The courses through MOMA have always been grand.
This course is open to everyone. No prior knowledge of architecture, art, design, or history to complete this course successfully.
Will I earn university credit for completing the course?
Coursera currently provides certificates of completion, but MoMA does not offer additional accreditation at this time.
When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
To access the course materials, assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience when you enroll in a course. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid. The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
What will I get if I purchase the Certificate?
When you purchase a Certificate you get access to all course materials, including graded assignments. Upon completing the course, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.