Unit Outline

In this unit, students will grapple with contemporary theories and contexts, and how Architecture as a profession and as a product responds to those ideas. Students will begin by interrogating Critical Architecture theories, developing an understanding of where architecture theory has been and where it is now, and how theory relates to discipline and practice. From that foundation, students will use Tasmania as a case study and lens through which to investigate social, political, cultural, and ecological contexts in this post-colonial era. Throughout, students will gain awareness of how to work effectively with colleagues through in-class work, assessment tasks, and reflection exercises. At the end of the unit, students will have a toolkit for understanding how architecture as a discipline can interrogate, reify, dismantle, and respond to the social, political, and ecological contexts of the 21st century. This is one of a stream of Bachelor of Architecture and Built Environments Architecture Theory units, which focus on establishing and enhancing students’ capacity to think with clarity and rigour to ensure solid bases for research inquiry and design practice. At Advanced level, the units concentrate on building understandings of and attitudes towards the present and forecasted futures of Architecture and your role in the field and profession.

Intended Learning Outcomes

As per the Assessment and Results Policy 1.3, your results will reflect your achievement against specified learning outcomes.

On completion of this unit, you will be able to:


1.	Evaluate critical architecture theories that inform professional practices
2.	Appraise post-colonial ideas and ecological conditions as a context for design interventions
3.	Create varied artefacts using a balance of words and images to communicate critical issues’ impact on design

Requisites


REQUISITE TYPE	REQUISITES
Pre-requisite	KDA235 and KDA241

Alterations as a result of student feedback

How will I be Assessed?

For more detailed assessment information please see MyLO.

Assessment schedule


ASSESSMENT TASK #	ASSESSMENT TASK NAME	DATE DUE	WEIGHT	LINKS TO INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Assessment Task 1:	Debate and Reflection	Week 5	30 %	LO1, LO3
Assessment Task 2:	Annotated Bibliography	Week 9	40 %	LO2, LO3
Assessment Task 3:	Design Brief and Reflection	Week 13	30 %	LO1, LO2, LO3

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Debate and Reflection

Task Description:

Working in groups, students will represent a single theory in a debate. All debaters will answer the question, “what is the best theoretical approach to a redesign of [the site]?” from the perspective of an assigned theoretical stance. The debates will consist of a 3-minute opening statement, a 3-minute rebuttal of the opponent team’s statement, and a closing statement. Students should prepare 2-3 slides (up to one for each portion of the debate): one which overviews your assigned theory, one of which offers a sketch proposal of the redesign of the site of the associated studio class as if your assigned theory is true, and one other slide of your choice. Students will upload the slides, the opening statement script, and prepared notes to a group dropbox on MyLO.

Task Length:

Group: 20 minutes of debating (9-10 presenting, plus 9-10 listening); 2-3 slides; Individual: 1-2 page critical reflection

Due Date:

Week 5

Weight:

30 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Explain the theory assigned to your group	LO1
2	Compare theory to opponent’s theory	LO1
3	Infer how a theory might influence the understanding and production of a design	LO1
4	Explain design approaches to critical issues in a clear verbal presentation	LO3
5	Communicate using a balance of words and images on slides	LO3

Assessment Task 2: Annotated Bibliography

Task Description:

For AT2, students will identify and then review sources on a topic selected from an identified list. Each potential topic is broadly conceived as an important historical, social, or ecological reality of post-colonial built environments in Australia; students should gather sources that respond to and inform the very specific context of Tasmania in the 21st century. Sources should be a mix of academic (e.g., peer-reviewed journal articles or books), news (e.g. New York Times or Australian Broadcasting Company articles), and high-quality popular readings and videos (e.g., TED talks or curated presentations) that focus on both historic realities and contemporary issues. Students should correctly reference each source and provide an annotation that includes a concise summary of the source and commentary on relationships to ideas addressed in classes. An abstract of the topic at the beginning of the bibliography will demonstrate a sophisticated and emplaced understanding of a topic relevant to contemporary design practice in the Tasmanian context.

Task Length:

citations and annotations for 15-30 sources, plus a 350-word abstract

Due Date:

Week 9

Weight:

40 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Describe the assigned relevant social, cultural, historical or ecological context	LO2
2	Explain the connection between environmental and social conditions and design outcomes	LO2
3	Explain critical issues for design using clear written language	LO3

Assessment Task 3: Design Brief and Reflection

Task Description:

AT3 asks students to work together to create a design brief for a memorial in Tasmania that acknowledges an aspect of the Island’s history and is respectful of Country. In a group, students will propose a site, a topic, and a theoretical approach to create a memorial in Tasmania. The brief should include enough relevant history, theory, and site information to provide potential designers with a strong basis for creating a sensitive, respectful, emplaced memorial, and one that will be responsive to a landscape of changed climate. Drawings and diagrams should illustrate and explain concepts articulated in the brief, but the emphasis is on written communication. The brief should include a list of sources for the imagined designers to learn more about the topics, in addition to being properly cited using Chicago 17 Author-Date referencing.

Task Length:

Group: 5-7 A4 pages of design brief; Individual: 1-2 page critical reflection

Due Date:

Week 13

Weight:

30 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Explain an appropriate theory and how it connects to the project	LO1
2	Infer how theory might influence the understanding and production of a design	LO1
3	Describe relevant social, cultural, historical, and ecological contexts for the project	LO2
4	Explain the connection between environmental and social conditions and design outcomes	LO2
5	Explain design approaches to critical issues using a balance of words and images	LO3

How your final result is determined

To pass this unit, you need to demonstrate your attainment of each of the Intended Learning Outcomes, achieve a final unit grade of 50% or greater, and pass any hurdle tasks.

Submission of assignments

Where practicable, assignments should be submitted to an assignment submission folder in MYLO. You must submit assignments by the due date or receive a penalty (unless an extension of time has been approved by the Unit Coordinator). Students submitting any assignment in hard copy, or because of a practicum finalisation, must attach a student cover sheet and signed declaration for the submission to be accepted for marking.

Requests for extensions

If you are unable to submit an assessment task by the due date, you should apply for an extension.

A request for an extension should first be discussed with your Unit Coordinator or teaching support team where possible. A request for an extension must be submitted by the assessment due date, except where you can provide evidence it was not possible to do so. Typically, an application for an extension will be supported by documentary evidence: however, where it is not possible for you to provide evidence please contact your Unit Coordinator.

The Unit Coordinator must notify you of the outcome of an extension request within 3 working days of receiving the request.

Late penalties

Assignments submitted after the deadline will receive a late penalty of 5% of the original available mark for each calendar day (or part day) that the assignment is late. Late submissions will not be accepted more than 10 calendar days after the due date, or after assignments have been returned to other students on a scheduled date, whichever occurs first. Further information on Late Penalties can be found on the Assessments and Results Procedure.

Review of results and appeals

You are entitled to ask for a review of the marking and grading of your assessment task if there is an irregularity in the marking standards or an error in the process for determining the outcome of an assessment. Details on how to request a review of a mark for an assignment are outlined in the Review and Appeal of Academic Decisions Procedure.