Design Theory Seminar

Catalog description

Inquiry-based reading and discussion of design theory literature relevant to contemporary landscape architecture issues. Topics vary each semester. LARCH 424 Design Theory Seminar (1-3) LARCH 424 , Design Theory Seminar, is a companion to the depth studios, LARCH 414 . However, unlike the seminars offered during second and third years, LARCH 424 is not tied topically to any particular depth studio. Instead, this seminar provides a vehicle for rigorous and structured exploration of the theoretical and philosophical issues that face landscape architectural designers and planners. The seminar is a small group setting where directed readings, independent research and reflection are employed to explore the context of contemporary design.These seminars, offered to fourth- and fifth-year students, enable professors and students to take their investigations to greater depth. Seminars are offered by different professors each semester and the content is expected to be somewhat aligned with the faculty member's research and scholarship or pursues special landscape architectural topical content of the faculty's choosing. Students select seminars from the range of options offered. This allows students to select a topic of interest to explore with great intensity and detail. Students are required to take up to three seminars to achieve a minimum of three credits.Topics are related to issues that have been introduced in previous studios and seminars and the department ensures that students have access to the widest range of topics. The seminar alternatives offered each year are based on faculty expertise and student interest, and are chosen by the department head's review of faculty proposals. Seminar topics related to our research centers include historic preservation, urban ecology, community planning and watershed stewardship. From time to time topics independent of our research centers, such as the impact of technology on design or the impact of public policy on design and planning, will be addressed. The type of seminar outcome is determined by instructors on an individual basis, and will be rigorous and require a high level of depth of thought and a sophisticated product.Course Objectives: • To further develop an in-depth understanding of the theoretical or socio-political context for one or another aspect of landscape architecture. -To challenge students to articulate their own values in the context of a specific environmental concern. -To examine the means by which designers reconcile their own, their clients', and society's values in the pursuit of particular design or planning goals.