ARC8056 : Architecture Ways of Knowing 1
- Offered for Year: 2025/26
- Module Leader(s): Dr Christos Kakalis
- Owning School: Architecture, Planning & Landscape
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 2 Credit Value: | 20 |
| ECTS Credits: | 10.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
Aims
Architecture Ways of Knowing 1 is a unique feature of the MArch curriculum, the first of two linked modules spanning semester two of stage 5 and semester one of stage 6. This enables students to undertake a year-long individual or group research project in connection with staff expertise. Students can either develop an independent project (dissertation) or join ‘linked research’ projects from options offered by research-active staff on a changing basis dependent on their current interests. These are often live projects, undertaken in real world contexts with partners from inside and outside of the University, allowing space for multiple and speculative forms of research.
Recognising the breadth of ‘architectural ways of knowing’, these projects may use conventional research methods or employ any of the full range of creative practice methods employed in architectural research, including small and large-scale fabrication, prototyping, time-based media, visual methods, lab work, community engagement, etc.
The module aims to:
- develop students’ understanding of architecture as a discipline in dialogue with other academic and practical disciplines
- increase students’ awareness of the multiple factors (eg. socio-economic, technological and ideological factors) that influence the design of buildings and their surroundings; including cities
- enable students to gain experience of developing a research project, understanding its wider context, identifying questions, resources and appropriate methods, and resourcing and planning the project through working directly with experienced researchers
- to foster greater awareness of research and its importance in architecture and to develop a range of research skills and knowledge of methodologies.
Outline Of Syllabus
Students are introduced to the range of project options on offer in Semester 1 and there is careful process of project allocation in discussion with students and project leaders. It is usually possible to give students their first or second choice. Students who opt to develop an independent project are supported with developing an initial proposal when the module begins in order that a supervisor with appropriate expertise can be quickly allocated.
In addition to their supervision, all students attend fortnightly lecture sessions about relevant processes and methods used in architectural research led by module leader/s with contributions from project leaders and supervisors. Following these sessions, and in preparation for the ‘project outline’ submission, there are oral presentations from each project (organised into clusters that allow for sharing and calibration across diverse projects) where formative feedback is provided by module and project leaders, and by peers.
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 60 | 1:00 | 60:00 | N/A |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 5 | 1:00 | 5:00 | research lectures with Module Leader and contributions from Project Leaders |
| Guided Independent Study | Directed research and reading | 46 | 1:00 | 46:00 | N/A |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 1 | 3:00 | 3:00 | oral presentations |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 2 | 1:00 | 2:00 | dissertation proposal seminars |
| Guided Independent Study | Project work | 80 | 1:00 | 80:00 | N/A |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Drop-in/surgery | 1 | 1:00 | 1:00 | N/A |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Dissertation/project related supervision | 6 | 0:30 | 3:00 | Individual or group supervision (if groups: 0.5 hrs per student) approx. fortnightly as suits project |
| Total | 200:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
The precise allocation of teaching activities to the 200 hour total will vary depending on the nature of the project undertaken by each student, but each student is supported by:
Core module activities:
These create a consolidated common ground of architectural research skills for students undertaking linked and independent research routes and include: 5 lectures introducing joint module expectations and architectural research methods; a 3-hour event of cross-project short oral presentations with formative feedback; a drop-in session for queries about the module submission.
With the exception of the drop-in/surgery session, core activities will be offered in person when permitted and use digital technology for sharing and recording.
Specialist research project supervision takes two possible forms:
(1) Students pursuing their own independent research project will be supported by module the leader/s to develop an initial proposal in order that an appropriate supervisor can be allocated, and will mostly work with them 1:1, in addition to the core module activities.
(2) Students undertaking one of the linked research projects will be supervised by the respective project leader/s mostly in a group situation, in addition to the core module activities.
Group and individual supervision is expected to mostly take place in-person, supplemented by online provision and recording where necessary or appropriate. Some groups are by nature ‘live’ and these will involve working in close proximity with communities and collaborators. These will deploy digital technology to accommodate for different needs and public health concerns as and when they arise.There is inherent flexibility in the module owing to the size and structure of the project groupings (max. size 10 students for linked research project), and research practices can be adapted to fit permitted interactions at the time.
The nature of this module makes it very well-suited for shifting between Present-in-Person and non-synchronous learning and teaching activities as required.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | 2 | A | 100 | The grade of this report is superseded by the grade of the submission of Architecture Ways of Knowing 2. |
Zero Weighted Pass/Fail Assessments
| Description | When Set | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Report | A | This is a pass/fail assessment. |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
Students need to have passed the submission of this semester in order to proceed in Architecture Ways of Knowing 2. The submission is an illustrated project outline – that
requires 3000-word (or equivalent depending on the nature of the project) per student, which in the case of a group project can be combined into a joint document if preferred. In this case at least 1000 words must be identified as written by an individual student.
Oral presentations prior to the submission provide an opportunity for formative feedback and enable moderation of expectations between different routes and projects within the module. Project outlines are marked by project supervisor and moderated by the module leader/s.
Assessment Criteria
Identification and review of a range of pertinent resources ( literature, archival, site survey etc as appropriate).
Clear expression of the frame (scope, focus and methods) for the proposed research project.
Vividness and appropriacy of expression including quality and use of visual materials.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- ARC8056's Timetable