GLA305 Social sustainability in a context of vulnerability
Credits (ECTS):15
Course responsible:Maria Gabriella Trovato
Campus / Online:Taught campus Ås
Teaching language:Engelsk
Limits of class size:25
Course frequency:Annual
Nominal workload:375 hours
Teaching and exam period:Autumn parallel
About this course
The Social sustainability in a context of vulnerability (GLA305) studio course is the final design exercise preparing GLA students for the final thesis. It is centred on maintaining and enriching contemporary and succeeding generations' well-being and quality of life while tackling the contemporary volatile environment framed by injustice, vulnerability, socioeconomic disparities, and conflicts. In line with the International Federation of Landscape Architects' statement, the course aims to prepare students to design "globally sustainable and balanced living environments for the benefit of humanity on a global scale" (IFLAWorld, 2023).
The course is structured in a series of exercises, lectures, class critiques and pinups, discussions, and studio work on a semester-long landscape project. The exercises are meant to guide students through the mapping, reading and analysing of the study area, looking at different aspects (spatial, social, cultural..). Lectures address the course theme by involving practitioners and researchers with expertise in the studio’s topic. Studio work is the main component of the course. It comprises group work, discussions, weekly class critiques, midterm and final pin-ups/presentations.
The GLA 305 studio is based on a Student-Centered pedagogy (SCP) and the Self-Regulated Design Learning (SRDL) theory. It sees the studio as a place for students and instructors to engage in open-ended, iterative, and collaborative design inquiry and experimentation by "designing through," "designing in," and "designing for". The results of the studio are scenarios of possible approaches and strategic thinking. As a result, the focus of education is shifting from problem-solving with predetermined goals to a method in which the casualties of the events are recognised in the creation of new knowledge.
The semester is organised in passing phases with objectives and deliverables, midterm and a final review. Particular attention is paid to the relevance and plausibility of each design research project and the contribution of the projects compared to the sources and references used.
Learning outcome
The course aims to provide students with practical experience in how to:
- Develop research questions through in-depth analysis, well-structured methodology, appropriate design exploration, and alternative design scenarios relevant to the inquiry.
- Develop and carry out a process-oriented design project by applying a creative thinking approach.
Knowledge:
- Apply principles of equitable development, social and environmental justice and community resilience in the implementation of landscape projects responsive to the most pressing environmental and social issues in a contested world
- Formulate advanced and effective landscape strategies, including core knowledge of landscape architecture and planning theory, ethics and critical thinking skills.
Skills:
Professionally communicate ideas and concepts of social sustainability in landscape architecture orally, textually, graphically, and through multiple media.
General competencies:
Students can critically reflect on their own contribution compared to the sources and references they used.
- Exercises, lectures, class critiques and pin-ups, discussions, reviews, peer reviews and studio work on a semester-long landscape project.
Class critiques and feedback during lectures, workshops, group presentations, and in-class discussions.
Feedback, advice, communication, and tips on CANVAS and MIRO board.
- GLA301, GLA302, GLA304 or demonstration of relevant alternative background.
Self-motivation to iteratively drive a process between research and design explorations during the course of the semester.
Graphic and communicative skills to comprehend, reflect and synthesise complex concerns. Analytic and synthetic skills to transfer knowledge in actionable interventions.
Embrace cultural diversity and difference.
Openness to re-evaluate standards, definitions and paradigms.
Curiosity to explore and openness to move beyond conventional wisdom. Finding a balance between structured and unstructured ways of working.
Contributions, curiosity, respect, tolerance and patience for peer learning.
Embrace process over product.
A portfolio consisting of all those project results that were developed over the course of the studio and should ultimately serve as a result.In particular, it will contain a PowerPoint presentation and printed posters with the studio work results.
Grading: A-F
All submissions and presentations must be submitted or held in English.
Portfolio Grading: Letter grades- An external examiner evaluates the final project result(s) and evaluates the students' work in the final assessment (final review).
Assignments: all assignments need to be approved to pass the course
Expected full-time attendance
Students are expected to demonstrate weekly progress in developing the proposal and project development in iterations of conducting research and testing it in a design application.
On a trial-and-error basis of continuous testing and vetting of their ideas, students take responsibility for driving their individual proposals and projects. The instructor provides guidance and assistance.
Using graphic tools for exploration and visualisation of this process. Presentation of the studio outcome(s) at mid-term and final review.
375 hours
25% structured teaching: consisting of lectures, short presentations, facilitated fieldwork, consultation of assignments, reviews.
75% self-study (individual students or student group project development)
- Students enrolled in the Master Landscape Architecture for Global Sustainability programme.
- Admission to the Master of Landscape Architecture for Global Sustainability program. External students can enrol based on their individual qualifications. Students of the NMBU ILA master's program are welcome.