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Module

APL1002 : Architectural and Planning Histories of the City

  • Offered for Year: 2024/25
  • Module Leader(s): Dr Andrew Law
  • Lecturer: Mrs Qianqian Qin
  • 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 1 Credit Value: 20
ECTS Credits: 10.0
European Credit Transfer System

Aims

To introduce the idea of urban visions and plans of the city within the Near East and western history.
To introduce the ideas of professional (rational) and non-professional architecture and planning within the Near East and western history.
To introduce and examine ideas of community architecture and planning and co-production
To introduce ways in which values and ethics in the built environment have shifted over time.
To introduce students to basic study skills including referencing, essay writing, note taking and argumentation.

Outline Of Syllabus

The first section of the course examines selective histories of ancient, classical, medieval, renaissance and modernist based cities. While this section is predominantly western in focus, the first section of the course covers the birth of cities in the Near East to decolonise overly Eurocentric histories that singularly trace the history of architecture and planning to Greco-Rome. In examining these histories, the course, investigates the rise of a professional discourse of architecture and planning that is realised and reinforced within the modernist movement. The second section of the course, therefore, turns to a series of alternative movements that arose in the twentieth century; movements that were seeking to unsettle and decolonise the professional discourse of architecture and planning we have outlined in the first section. Particularly, section 2, contains sessions on the ‘alternative architectural history’ movement, which grew out of the 60s and sessions on the re-emergence of non-professional community (or ‘bottom up’) architecture and planning in the global south and global north. Section 3 then turns from the past to the present and the future and in this last part of the course we examine themes problems relating to neo-liberalism and the environment. Specifically, we explore the way in which neo-liberalisms have created blandscapes, sites of precariousness and environmental damage and drawing upon architectural and planning ideas, we seek to examine future alternatives.

Alongside this historical academic content, the course, will also strengthen study skills that are needed by K190 students for the duration of their degrees; these skills will include sessions on referencing, essay writing, note taking and reading and argumentation.

Teaching Methods

Teaching Activities
Category Activity Number Length Student Hours Comment
Scheduled Learning And Teaching ActivitiesLecture112:0022:00PIP lectures
Structured Guided LearningLecture materials11:001:00Introductory online ReCAP/video (15-30 mins) Activity: familiarise yourself with the module handbook
Guided Independent StudyAssessment preparation and completion150:0050:00Essay preparation
Guided Independent StudyDirected research and reading103:0030:003 hour Guided independent study (themed reading and/or visual resources to support lecture topic)
Structured Guided LearningStructured research and reading activities102:0020:00Key reading tasks to accompany the x 11 short recordings (above) and the guided independent study
Scheduled Learning And Teaching ActivitiesWorkshops52:0010:00Study skills sessions for K190: referencing, essay writing, note taking, argumentation skills (PIP).
Scheduled Learning And Teaching ActivitiesDrop-in/surgery12:002:00Q&A session run over a day in a seminar room (PIP)
Scheduled Learning And Teaching ActivitiesDrop-in/surgery12:002:00PIP surgery.
Scheduled Learning And Teaching ActivitiesDrop-in/surgery12:002:00Personal surgeries (PIP).
Guided Independent StudyStudent-led group activity101:0010:00Student peer group reading and assessment discussion (mutual support group) – students will meet.
Guided Independent StudyIndependent study151:0051:00N/A
Total200:00
Teaching Rationale And Relationship

The Structured Guided Learning Activities provide a detailed explanation of the key issues and an examination of The Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities provide support for discussions about themes and issues within the histories of cities, architecture and planning. The Guided Independent Study will enable students to both achieve the intended knowledge and skills outcomes identified for the module, as well as enabling them to prepare for the creation of their assessment submission.

This MOF is based on a blended learning approach and includes a mixture of online learning and present in person (PiP) provision.

The module will include 11 lectures. All of these lectures will take place via PiP provision. These lectures will provide an overview of the key issues and theories along with relevant case studies.

These lectures will provide the starting place for the teaching scaffold. Firstly, after attending the lectures, students will then be asked to engage with
a)       3 hours of Guided independent study – involving reading and/or visual materials
b)       And a 2-hour reading task on their own

As well as the lectures and the associated reading, (including the individual and group reading tasks) students will then take part in a series of PiP workshops. These workshops provide structured discussion of particular issues through a mixture of small-group tasks and plenary discussion.

The workshops will cover broader study skills that are required for the K190 Architecture and Planning degree more broadly. The workshops will cover in particular, sessions on referencing, essay writing, note taking and argumentation.

PIP Q and A sessions and drop-in surgery sessions will be available throughout the course so that students can gain easy access to a tutor.

Assessment Methods

The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners

Other Assessment
Description Semester When Set Percentage Comment
Prof skill assessmnt1M20Study Skills 1000-word assessment. Encourages students to apply what they have learnt about reading, referencing and argumentation.
Essay1A802,500 word assessment - will ask students to apply a theory they have learnt through lectures to one of the workshop case studies.
Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The Structured Guided Learning Activities provide a detailed explanation of the key issues and an examination of important literature. The Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities provide support for discussions about the history of cities and architecture and planning. The Guided Independent Study will enable students to both achieve the intended knowledge and skills outcomes identified for the module, as well as enabling to help them prepare for the creation of their assessment submission. There are two assessments for this module. The first assessment, which is only 1000 words, will test students on what they have learnt in their study skills classes. The study skills assessment will feed into a Student peer group, where students will meet to discuss the course and the reading within the course so that they can share ideas in the development of their short essay. The final summative essay will be 2500 words and will test the students on their knowledge of the historical themes and issues within the course.

Reading Lists

Timetable