Credit Points: 15
Study Time: 150 Hours

This unit focuses on critical and analytical understanding of the issues affecting contemporary practice in architecture. Use will be made of key late twentieth and twenty-first century theoretical developments in the understanding and analysis of visual culture. This unit gives you the opportunity to use the academic skills and understanding of your specialism acquired in the earlier Autumn Term unit (3 October - 9 December 2011), Thinking About Making (Architecture).

Method of delivery
Lectures; seminars; tutorials; screenings; independent study.

Aims

A1 To develop further the core academic skills introduced during the preceding unit: Thinking About Making (Architecture)
A2 To extend and deepen your knowledge and understanding of historical constructs in relation to contemporary practice
A3 To examine key theoretical and contextual issues and debates
A4 To develop critical analysis and reflection

Learning Outcomes
On completion of this unit you will be able to demonstrate:

LO1 Knowledge, competence and confidence in research, essay writing and academic conventions
LO2 Understanding of contemporary practice in relation to historical constructs
LO3 Knowledge and understanding of critical theories and contextual issues in relation to contemporary practice
LO4 Knowledge of skills in critical analysis and reflection

Reference Material

Study Skills
Brink-Budgen, Roy van den (2000). Critical thinking for students - learn the skills of critical assessment and effective argument. Oxford: How to books.

Technology, skills and Creativity
McCullough, (1996). Abstracting the Craft, the Practiced Digital Hand, Cambridge Massachusetts, MIT Press,

Post-modern critical theory: new ways of thinking about knowledge and values
Strinati, D. (2001). An introduction to theories of popular culture. London: Routledge.
Woods, Tim (1999). Beginning post modernism Manchester: Manchester University Press.
Saussure, F de, (trans) (1974) Course in General Linguistics. London: Fontana /Collins
Barthes, R, (trans) (1984) Writing degree zero; &, Elements of Semiology. London; Jonathan Cape.
Barthes, R. (Trans) (1964) Mythologies. New York; Fontana
Huyssen, A. (1986). After the great divide: modernism, mass culture, postmodernism. London: Macmillan
Best, S. & Kellner, D. (2001). The Postmodern Adventure London: Routledge.
Jameson, F, (1991) Post-Modernism or the Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism. London: Verso
Jenckes, Charles. The New Paradigm in Architecture, The Language of Postmodernism? London: Yale
Venturi, Scott Brown and Isenour, (1997 Revised Edition) Learning from Las Vegas, The Forgotten Symbolism of Architectural Form. London : MIT Press

Social machines and the 'Post -Human'
Bell DJ, Loader B, Pleace N, Schuler D, (2004) Cyberculture, The Key Concepts. London: Routledge
Haraway D, (2003) The Haraway Reader. London: Routledge
Hables Gray C, (2004) The Cyborg Handbook. London : Routledge
Mitchell, Williams, J (2003) Me ++ The Cyborg Self and the Networked City. London: MIT Press
Gibson, William (1996) Idoru, London : Penguin Books

Environmentalism
Papanek V. (1986) Design for the Real World. London: Thames and Hudson
Papanek V. (1995) The Green Imperative. London: Thames and Hudson

Singularity
Brand, S. (1999) The Clock of the Long Now. USA; Basic Books
Mau, Bruce Massive Change: A Manifesto for the Future Global Design Culture. (Phiadon, 2001)

Journals
Whole Earth Magazine
Computer Graphics World