Handbook home
Architects in Asia, Practice & Politics (ABPL90418)
Graduate courseworkPoints: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)
For information about the University’s phased return to campus and in-person activity in Winter and Semester 2, please refer to the on-campus subjects page.
About this subject
- Overview
- Eligibility and requirements
- Assessment
- Dates and times
- Further information
- Timetable(opens in new window)
Contact information
Semester 2
Please refer to the LMS for up-to-date subject information, including assessment and participation requirements, for subjects being offered in 2020.
Overview
Availability | Semester 2 |
---|---|
Fees | Look up fees |
The subject offers an overview of the issues facing architects designing in Asia from the mid- to late twentieth century when modernism had the greatest impact. Asian cities and lifestyles were transformed by design cultures of western origin, and architects became mediators of aesthetic influences, which they encouraged, adapted or resisted to varying degrees. In doing so, they engaged with questions of related to urbanisation and cultural change such as tradition, colonisation, nationalism, contested or dissonant heritage, war memory, and environmental consciousness that most impacted their societies. They responded through architecture to key concerns of their time.
Focusing on the lives and careers of the first generation of modernists in South Asia, Southeast Asia and East Asia, this subject provides a critical historical understanding of their foci and inspirations, many of which continue to be relevant for architecture, urban design and heritage practice. Students are asked to follow individual careers as they evolved in response to political and cultural changes such as decolonisation, nation building, consumerism and multiculturalism, and associated conflicts. How did architects negotiate their westernised professional education, the demands of specific localities, the pressure to maintain traditional forms of cultural heritage and their more personal approaches and perspectives? How did they apply visual, textual and pedagogical methods in disseminating their world views? What can we learn from their design strategies?
Intended learning outcomes
On completion of the subject, students should be able to:
- Demonstrate a critical understanding of key issues that impact the built environment in the Asian region,
- Examine how selected architects develop design approaches that engage with regional specificity
- Analyse how architectural practice is translated across cultures and over time
- Reflect on key factors that shape architectural careers in Asia, and its application for their own future practice
Generic skills
- Reading comprehension of conceptually complex material on heterogeneous environments
- Descriptive, interpretive and analytical academic writing, including referencing
- Creative structuring of research content using case study methods
- oral and visual presentation skills
Last updated: 3 November 2022
Eligibility and requirements
Prerequisites
None
Corequisites
None
Non-allowed subjects
None
Recommended background knowledge
ABPL90117 Twenty-first Century Architecture
Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)
The University of Melbourne is committed to providing students with reasonable adjustments to assessment and participation under the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and the Assessment and Results Policy (MPF1326). Students are expected to meet the core participation requirements for their course. These can be viewed under Entry and Participation Requirements for the course outlines in the Handbook.
Further details on how to seek academic adjustments can be found on the Student Equity and Disability Support website: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/student-equity/home
Last updated: 3 November 2022
Assessment
Due to the impact of COVID-19, assessment may differ from that published in the Handbook. Students are reminded to check the subject assessment requirements published in the subject outline on the LMS
Description | Timing | Percentage |
---|---|---|
Tutorial presentations (based on visual and written materials to the total equivalent of 1000 words)
| From Week 4 to Week 11 | 20% |
Biography of architect including 5 annotated references
| Week 8 | 20% |
Essay including 10 references
| Week 14 | 60% |
Hurdle requirement: 75% attendance of lecture/seminar and tutorials | N/A |
Last updated: 3 November 2022
Dates & times
- Semester 2
Coordinator Anoma Pieris Mode of delivery On Campus (Parkville) Contact hours 1X2 hour seminar and 1X2 hour tutorial per week Total time commitment 170 hours Teaching period 3 August 2020 to 1 November 2020 Last self-enrol date 14 August 2020 Census date 21 September 2020 Last date to withdraw without fail 16 October 2020 Assessment period ends 27 November 2020 Semester 2 contact information
Last updated: 3 November 2022
Further information
- Texts
Prescribed texts
There are no specifically prescribed or recommended texts for this subject.
- Available through the Community Access Program
About the Community Access Program (CAP)
This subject is available through the Community Access Program (also called Single Subject Studies) which allows you to enrol in single subjects offered by the University of Melbourne, without the commitment required to complete a whole degree.
Entry requirements including prerequisites may apply. Please refer to the CAP applications page for further information.
Last updated: 3 November 2022