Course Title: Landscape Architecture Pre-Major

Part A: Course Overview

Course ID: 035054

Course Title: Landscape Architecture Pre-Major

Credit Points: 24


Course Code

Campus

Career

School

Learning Mode

Teaching Period(s)

ARCH1304

City Campus

Undergraduate

315H Architecture & Design

Face-to-Face

Sem 1 2006,
Sem 1 2007

Course Coordinator: Sue Anne Ware

Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 9925 3429

Course Coordinator Email: SueAnne.Ware@rmit.edu.au

Course Coordinator Location: 8.11.28

Course Coordinator Availability: by appointment


Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

ARCH 1161 - ARCH 1171, as well as submission of an application for Pre-major Project.


Course Description

Pre-Major Project Seminar is the venue for developing, in a supportive yet critical group forum, ‘Pre-major projects’ to the point where students are starting to engage in significant design and written exploration / experimentation. This course is a separate course from major project, but for all practical purposes it is an integral part of major project . It is not a "preface to the main body of the text", etc. It is structured to deal with key issues, provide logical sequencing, overlapping and re-development opportunities, and to focus the work prior to second semester. Experience has shown that a degree of focus is required on certain aspects of the major project or else they tend to be ’dropped out’ or ’not grasped’. This focus has to be counterbalanced with a striving for focused unity of all of the components, as represented in the final submission for Pre-major project Seminar. It is also structured so that individuals gain from being in the group.


Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

1. A student should be able to place their Pre- major project work in an appropriate and productive philosophical / theoretical / social and / or historical frame of reference.

2. A student should have developed the appropriate design processes and begin to seriously explore and experiment with design work at the start of second semester.

3. A student should be able to articulate, and have begun to explore, a focused formal interest for their project.

4. Students should be able to position their project within the relevant types of landscape / space.

5. Students should be able to position their project within the relevant traditions of landscape architectural design.

6. Students should have developed the technical basis from which their major project will develop.

7. Students should have collected the relevant project data and transformed it into a form appropriate for their project.

8. Students should have devised a management strategy and time-line for their major project.

9. Students should have produced a clear, coherent, focused and brief proposal for their major project.

10. All of the above objectives should be focused on the same thing and be complementary.

11. Students should be able to work independently.
Capabilities

Synthesis: An ability to integrate and apply conceptual, critical and creative thinking that addresses relevant problematics, informs imaginative and innovative design proposals in a range of existing and new contexts.

Reflection: An ability to reflect, assesses, demonstrate awareness of and be resourceful in design practice that promotes lifelong learning, personal development, and effective work habits within a social framework.

Analysis: An ability to critique, synthesize, evaluate and make informed decisions across a range of design contexts with clarity and maturity.

Research: An enhanced ability to engage in research within the broader context of design, utilising technological systems, information, discipline specific discourse, conceptual frameworks, evaluation of relevant issues and with reference to the work of others in the field

Communication: An ability to develop ongoing fluency in articulating ideas, clear arguments and rationales that effectively present design proposals and solutions to team members, clients, consultants, other design teams, and government and community stakeholders.


1. A student should be able to place their Pre- major project work in an appropriate and productive philosophical / theoretical / social and / or historical frame of reference.

2. A student should have developed the appropriate design processes and begin to seriously explore and experiment with design work at the start of second semester.

3. A student should be able to articulate, and have begun to explore, a focused formal interest for their project.

4. Students should be able to position their project within the relevant types of landscape / space.

5. Students should be able to position their project within the relevant traditions of landscape architectural design.

6. Students should have developed the technical basis from which their major project will develop.

7. Students should have collected the relevant project data and transformed it into a form appropriate for their project.

8. Students should have devised a management strategy and time-line for their major project.

9. Students should have produced a clear, coherent, focused and brief proposal for their major project.


11. Students should be able to work independently.

Student Generated Learning Outcomes (What is it you want to learn and achieve during this semester? Please consider this and email it to SueAnne by the Friday March 3, 2006.
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Overview of Learning Activities

Pre-major project Seminar will run as a seminar / studio / workshop / Field trip series. Lectures and introductory talks will also be utilized where appropriate, usually at the beginning of exercises. There will also be guest lectures from previous students to discuss both pre-major and major projects and various academics. The semester is divided into two parts. The first part is a series of one-week exercises. For the first weeks you will be given a series of short one week and in class Exercises. These are very open (deliberately) so that you can re-shape and re-define them as necessary. In the following weeks you will then develop a series of three of your own one-week exercises. This is so that you get used to thinking clearly about key aims and ideas, and how you are going to investigate them. At mid-semester you will present the significant findings from all of your exercises, discuss your project and your agenda as well as plans for the rest of the semester. The second half of the semester is primarily self-generated


Overview of Learning Resources

Not Available


Overview of Assessment

Exercises – Esquisses - Assignments
Exercises are presented at certain Presentation dates, however they are most likely best developed in an, to some degree at least, overlapping manner, as some aspects will take more time than allotted between presentations. Students will need to plan for this. The lecturers may be able to suggest strategies to deal with this.

• Failed exercises must be resubmitted complete within one week of failing. Students are urged to keep up with the requirements of the course, mainly for educational purposes, but also because falling behind may mean that management issues take over from the educational value of your efforts.

• 30% of Mark will be determined by interim exercises


Final Presentation
Final Presentation is the opportunity to:
1. Focus all of the previous work and bring it together into one unified and focused project. The individual projects are obliged to be aimed at unity, but will obviously tend to privilege certain parts and relationships in the projects. The final submission should strive for unity and clarity of focus.
2. Have attempted and continue to attempt design propositions, all students must be by the end of the semester, designing.
2. Re-interpret, give renewed emphasis, re-do. Etc.
3. Revised written proposal
4. Folio of semesters work (See description under esquisse 4)

Percentage of course 70%

Students must pass all areas of the course to pass the course.