ARCHHTC 237 Postmodern and Contemporary Architecture and Urbanism - Course Outlines

Course Prescription

Examines architectural and urban history and theory from the postmodern to the recent and contemporary.

Course Overview

The aims of this course are to:

To develop a greater awareness of “key” influences – thinkers, architects, designers, buildings, philosophies or ideas – from the late 1960’s to present, and an understanding of why these may be considered “key”
To understand and recognise how architecture and design intent are shaped and influenced by wider factors (socio-cultural, economic, political, climatic, fashion, globalisation, construction and fabrication techniques and technologies, etc.), and to appreciate the significance of any design problem as part of a much larger complex of ideas and agendas
To improve student’s ability to position their own ideas and intentions within these fields of influence, and develop their understanding of how these influences impinge on the matter with cross-referencing to their own work and thinking
To learn how to pace a building in its historical context and develop a greater understanding of how architects and their design methods, construction techniques, spatial thinking, and so on can inform and inspire students own ways of working and designerly thinking
To improve the quality of essay writing (staircasing to thesis)

Course Requirements

Prerequisite: ARCHHTC 102 Restriction: ARCHHTC 235, 236

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

Demonstrate ability to identify key architectural precedence (1965 - present) and the ability to recall significant details about the project (architect/materials/location/time period/spatial qualities/ etc.) (Capability 3.1 and 3.3)
Demonstrate an awareness of wider contextual issues and key influences – architects, writers, thinkers, manifestos, philosophies, etc. – on architects and how these informed/inspired the design of key buildings (1965 – present). (Capability 1.3, 2.1, 3.1 and 3.3)
A comprehensive knowledge and understanding of key buildings/structures and an ability to research, analyse and illustrate this knowledge through concise case/precedent studies. (Capability 4.1)
Develop and demonstrate good critical thinking and self-reflection skills: develop own opinions and position on a topic and articulate how this has been informed by the works (writings, designs, teachings etc.) of others. (Capability 4.1)
Articulate and apply a clear, coherent and cogent argument through a concise, well structured and researched essay. (Capability 6.1)
Communicate ideas and information verbally through active participation in various scenarios (lectures, tutorials, and Canvas discussion boards), whilst being mindful and respectful of diverse audiences. (Capability 6.1)

Assessments

Assessment Type	Percentage	Classification
Mini Assignments	30%	Individual Coursework
Context study	16%	Individual Coursework
Essay (critical review)	30%	Individual Coursework
Graphic Portfolio	24%	Individual Coursework
4 types	100%

Assessment Type	Learning Outcome Addressed
	1	2	3	4	5	6
Mini Assignments
Context study
Essay (critical review)
Graphic Portfolio

Late submissions will be considered if their assessment has been disrupted by illness or other unexpected event that is out of the student’s control. Students applying for an extension of time must also obtain an Extension of Time Form for Coursework Submission from this Canvas course page (under "Files") and complete the required details. Notifications by students should include information about the unexpected circumstances and should attach evidence to support this if they have any. Both of these – supporting documentation and extension form – should be submitted to Andrew or Anthony as soon as practicable, and preferably before any due date in order to process the necessary paperwork on time. Assignments not received by the due date, and for which no extension of time has been approved, will receive a 20% penalty for each day delay in submission.

To ensure academic integrity, the course instructors reserve the right to request verbal presentations from students regarding their written assignments. This measure aims to confirm the authenticity of submissions, particularly in light of emerging AI and language model technologies. If selected, students may be asked to discuss their work in detail, and the final grade for the assignment will take into account both the written submission and the verbal presentation.

Pass Requirements: All assignments must be submitted on time (or incur a late penalty – see above). Students who do not achieve at least 35% in the Mini-Assignments (total) and in the Critical Review (essay) will not pass the course.

Teaching & Learning Methods

Lectures are arranged thematically with particular focus on an issue, concept, polemic, or philosophy that has

challenged and inspired architects and designers from the mid-nineteen sixties to the present. Lecture content is

delivered through a combination of theory (an introduction to the thematic content and its immediate context -

sociocultural, political, religious, historical, etc.) and detailed case studies/architectural exemplars that embody some element of this thinking. Lecture content is supplemented with readings, Canvas material (links, videos, texts, images etc.), and weekly tutorials designed to develop skills required for the course and forthcoming assessments.

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 15 point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in.

For this course, you can expect 33 hours of lectures (22 pre-recorded), 9 hours of tutorials, 42 hours of reading and thinking in preparation for lectures and tutorials, and 66 hours of work on assignments and/or test preparation.

Delivery Mode

Campus Experience

Attendance is required at scheduled activities including tutorials to receive credit for components of the course.
Lectures will be available as recordings. Other learning activities including tutorials will not be available as recordings.
The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable.

Learning Resources

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).

Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

All course readings are available via Reading Lists on Canvas. These are developed and arranged to reflect the specific content of the lecture and offer a strong starting point for an essay or research assignment. It is by no means an exhaustive or comprehensive list and students are expected to seek out additional scholarly material (e.g. not Wikipedia articles)

General History, Theory and Criticism overview (textbook, in order of relevance):

Nesbitt, Kate. Theorizing a New Agenda for Architecture : an Anthology of Architectural Theory 1965-1995. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 1996. Print.
Goodman, Harry. An Introduction to Architectural Theory: 1968 to the Present. Malden, MA : Wiley-Blackwell, 2011. Print.
The Phaidon Atlas of Contemporary World Architecture. London: Phaidon, 2004. Print. Note: Fragile item. Not to be borrowed or photocopied.
The Phaidon Atlas of 21st Century World Architecture. London: Phaidon, 2008. Print. Note: Fragile item. Not to be borrowed or photocopied.
Sykes, A. Christa. Ed. Constructing a New Agenda, Architectural Theory 1993-2009. New York, NY: Princeton Architecture Press, 2010. Print.
Hays, K. Michael. Architecture Theory Since 1968. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1998. Print.
Smith, Korydon. Introducing Architectural Theory: Debating a Discipline. New York, NY: Routledge, 2012. Print.
Jencks, Charles and Kropf. Karl. Theories and Manifestos of Contemporary Architecture. Chichester: WileyAcademy, 2006. Print

Student Feedback

At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.

Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.

Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

Actions taken in response to feedback through SET course evaluations

The feedback about the lectures was very positive (“intellectually challenging”, “engaging”, “helpful”, etc) , as were comments about the tutorials. The feedback was appreciative of the relevance of material covered to design courses.

Areas to improve include:

Requests to reorder of the tutorial sessions and the provision of individual feedback
Requests for slide test information to be provided in advance of the course (not just the lecture)
Requests to make the course content on Canvas clearer

Each of these requests have been heard and will be addressed for HTC237 in 2021

Other Information

Tutorial information

A series of Tutorials have been established to assist students with various aspects of the course including presentations on various skill sets (writing, textual analysis, critical reflection etc.) with small exercises designed to encourage students to develop and hone their written, cognitive and communication skills with particular emphasis on the course content and assignments.

Students are expected to bring their own devices (ideally laptop or tablet rather than smartphone) to all tutorials in order to conduct online research during workshops.

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework, tests and examinations as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against electronic source material using computerised detection mechanisms. Upon reasonable request, students may be required to provide an electronic version of their work for computerised review.

self-plagiarism: no work that has been submitted previously (for any course) may be resubmitted (in full or part) for any other assignments unless quoted and referenced in full (e.g. you may not reuse paragraphs from previous essays in any new essays).

Class Representatives

Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.

If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.

This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Requests for extensions of time must be submitted and approved using the Extension of Time Application form available on Canvas. Students should notify the Course Director/Course Coordinator of their situation as soon as practicable, and preferably before any due date. Notifications by students should include information about unexpected circumstances and should attach evidence to support this if available.

Learning Continuity

We undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions, the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and your assessment is fair, and not compromised. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. In the event of a disruption, the University and your course coordinators will make every effort to provide you with up to date information via Canvas and the University website.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.

In this course you may be asked to submit your coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. The final decision on the completion mode for a test or examination, and remote invigilation arrangements where applicable, will be advised to students at least 10 days prior to the scheduled date of the assessment, or in the case of an examination when the examination timetable is published.

Capability 1:	People and Place
Capability 2:	Sustainability
Capability 3:	Knowledge and Practice
Capability 4:	Critical Thinking
Capability 6:	Communication

ARCHHTC 237 : Postmodern and Contemporary Architecture and Urbanism

Creative Arts and Industries

2025 Semester Two (1255) (15 POINTS)