Module Synopsis:
This is a reading/looking/listening/thinking module aimed at raising a student’s consciousness to direct processes to analyse underlying premises, form general philosophical attitudes and promote experience in design which are consistent with basic worldviews and personal values.
Module Teaching Objectives:
The teaching objectives of the module are to:
- Explore interdisciplinary modes of thinking that can contribute to a greater awareness of Design.
- Encourage cross-fertilization of inclinations that can elucidate implications of general philosophical attitudes towards Architecture.
- Engage students in a transformative learning process that will lead to a structural shift in their basic premises of thoughts, feelings and actions.
Task 1:
Think Sheet
A Think Sheet is a single page submission of our thoughts in response to an assigned reading. Each Think Sheet should be personal and should reflect our own experiences and values as they relate to the assigned reading. They should be well written and carefully proofread; clarity of writing is imperative.
A Think Sheet is not a book review, the Think Sheet should be a document our own thoughts in response to the reading. It need not even be on the same topic as the reading, although it is important that we identify what it was in the reading that stimulated our thoughts.
Task 2:
Narrative Essay: Personal Values Statement - Defining Personal Values for Design
No two persons are the same. This is a personal endeavor starting by us completing a survey followed by exploration and deep introspection in order to gain a new or renewed perspective of ourselves. Your narrative essay should be well written and intended to raise the consciousness of our own background, experiences, and abilities to promote experience in design that are consistent with our personal values. The word count for the essay is 1000 words.
Narrative Essay: Personal Values Statement - Defining Personal Values for Design
No two persons are the same. This is a personal endeavor starting by us completing a survey followed by exploration and deep introspection in order to gain a new or renewed perspective of ourselves. Your narrative essay should be well written and intended to raise the consciousness of our own background, experiences, and abilities to promote experience in design that are consistent with our personal values. The word count for the essay is 1000 words.
Task 3:
Narrative Video: My Personal Values and Worldview
Our task is to produce a video of our personal values and worldview. The video is a presentation of our PVS in a sequence of pictures organized in a thematic format.
Narrative Video: My Personal Values and Worldview
Our task is to produce a video of our personal values and worldview. The video is a presentation of our PVS in a sequence of pictures organized in a thematic format.
Reflection:
It is nice to have a class that is not all about architecture, but still related in a way. It is not just 'how' do we do good design, but the principles and reasons of 'why' do we do good design as well. In this ever changing society where design work are extremely subjective, we as architects need to have a balance of adaptation, and being firm of our personal statement to benefit mankind overall through built environment. Without the idea of reason, we are no different compared to robots programmed to do specific tasks under supreme control.
This elective subject is definitely one-of-a-kind in my 3 years in studying architecture. Finally a subject that discusses not just 'how', but 'why'. And that is a crucial yet a necessary step in developing a meaningful architecture environment in time to come.
