ARC8053 : Dissertation in Architecture A
- Offered for Year: 2025/26
- Module Leader(s): Dr Nathaniel Coleman
- 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
• To develop an understanding of architecture as an academic discipline in relation to architectural invention;
• To increase awareness of the socio-economic, technological and ideological factors that influence the design of buildings and their surroundings;
• To demonstrate developing architectural scholarship through a high standard of literacy and visual presentation in accordance with the conventional ‘apparatus’ of academic research and writing, informed by the discipline of architecture;
• To encourage the pursuit of a particular and personal line of enquiry into the nature of architectural invention in its broader cultural context.
• The syllabus - and therefore the subject of examination - comprises student-selected research topics in architecture and subjects related to its invention, at the scale of individual buildings and the designed environment more generally.
Outline Of Syllabus
The MARCH Dissertation spans Semester 02 of Stage 05 and Semester 01 of Stage 06, each of which is worth 20 credits.
The Dissertation entails a student self-selected individual research project that culminates in a 10,000 word illustrated document.
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 96:00 | 96:00 | Reflective learning activity. |
| Guided Independent Study | Directed research and reading | 1 | 96:00 | 96:00 | Reflective learning activity. |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 2 | 3:00 | 6:00 | Present-in-Person or Synchronous on-line discussion. |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Dissertation/project related supervision | 4 | 0:30 | 2:00 | Scheduled Present-in-Person or on-line contact time. |
| Total | 200:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities, including Small group teaching and Dissertation/project related supervision will be Present-in-Person, dependent on the Public Health situation, or offered as synchronous on-line, depending on individual student, tutor, and Public Health circumstances. Otherwise, synchronous on-line contact, including supervisory meetings between individual students and tutors, or small group discussions including the module cohort, facilitated by the module leader, will be offered. However, if students are unable to participate in Present-in-Person, or on-line Synchronous Small group teaching or Dissertation/project related supervision activities, structured non-Synchronous alternatives will be offered in the form of written comments provided to students unable to attend scheduled activities, Present-in-Person, or Synchronous. Comments will be provided via email, in response to electronically shared written/visual material, if they are unable to attend scheduled activities (whether online or in person). Supervisor and supervisee can meet in-person or synchronously on-line by mutual agreement for Dissertation/project related supervision, dependent on circumstances.
Supervisor and supervisee will meet in-person whenever possible by mutual agreement. However, if necessary, dissertation/project related supervision could instead be provided remotely, by agreement, during synchronous online meetings.
Guided Independent Study, including Assessment preparation and completion and Directed research and reading are
student-led, guided by Dissertation Supervisors and the Module Leader, so could take place either remotely or on-campus (including library-based research), as required by individual students.
The nature of this module makes it very well-suited for shifting between Present-in-Person, synchronous, and non-synchronous learning and teaching activities as required, depending on circumstances, of a Public Health nature but also in response to student, and/or tutor requirements.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dissertation | 2 | A | 100 | 3,500 Word Proposal, including Chapter Draft, inclusive of notes/citations/references, captions, abstract, and bibliography. |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
All dissertations are marked by the dissertation tutor and module leader. In cases where there is a significant variance of marks, another internal reader will act as third reader, or as second reader where the module leader and dissertation tutor is the same person. Marks are agreed by all readers together at a separate M.Arch. Dissertation Meeting and tabled at the Departmental Examination Board.
The assessor might downgrade the mark if the word count of the submission is outside of +/- 10% of that required.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- ARC8053's Timetable