module specification

The module explores the relation of the broader intellectual context of technology to architecture.
This module examines the concept of technology historically and philosophically in order to get a clearer idea of its relation to architecture. It questions current assumptions that the progress of technology is inevitable.

The module begins by looking at the pre-technological world through texts by Plato and Aristotle and by examining concepts like poeisis, techne and mimesis. Next it considers texts by Bacon and Descartes in order to discover the origins of the dualistic world-view that is a precondition of the technological world. This is followed by a brief survey, through some popular writings, of topics such as artificial intelligence, post-human evolution, genetic engineering and artificial life. Finally twentieth century philosophical texts by Heisenberg, Heiddegger and others form the basis of a critique of the technological world. LO1,LO2,LO3,LO4,LO5

Scheduled teaching ensures that independent study is effective and addresses the learning outcomes and assessment tasks. Students have the opportunity to study outside of scheduled classes. A range of learning strategies are deployed and individual learning styles accommodated. The module’s learning outcomes, its contents and delivery, are regularly reviewed to ensure an inclusive pedagogical approach.
The module and course utilise the University’s blended learning platform to support and reinforce learning. Peer-to-peer communication is fostered in seminars and tutorial support provided at key points in the calendar. Reflective learning is promoted through assessment tasks and formative feedback. Students are encouraged to reflect on their progress and engage in sequential decision making through staged submissions and worksheets, and to make recommendations to themselves for future development.
The School’s programme of employability events and embedded work-related learning within the curriculum supports personal development planning. Through these initiatives, students are increasingly able – as they progress – to understand the professional environment of their discipline, the various opportunities available to them, and how to shape their learning according to their ambitions and aspirations.

On completing the module the student should be able to:

1. think critically with some precision about questions of technology in design;

2. use historical and cultural materials imaginatively in pursuing such questions;


3. construct a clear and forceful argument;

4. apply the specific subject matter of the module to other contexts;
5. interpret productively the cultural setting in which design occurs/takes place.

Module assessment is based on a 4000 word essay on a topic agreed with the tutor and related to the subject material of the seminar (75%) together with a seminar presentation (25%).The pass mark for the module is to be calculated as an aggregate of the components weighted accordingly, with the proviso that the candidate must pass Component 1 (the essay).

Aristotle, Physics, Book II, translated with introduction and notes by W. Charlton (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1970)
Armstrong, Rachel, 'Post Human Evolution' in Artifice 2 (London: University College, 1995)
Boden, Margaret A,, ed.,The Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence (Oxford University Press, 1990)
Descartes, René, A Discourse on Method; Meditations on the First Philosophy; Principles of Philosophy, translated by John Veitch, introduction by Tom Sorell (London: Dent, 1986)
Heidegger, Martin, 'The Question Concerning Technology' in Basic Writings (London: Routledge, 1993)
Heisenberg, Werner, 'The Copenhagen Interpretation of Quantum Theory' and 'The Development of Philosophical Ideas Since Descartes' in Physics and Philosophy (London: Penguin, 1990)
Jencks, Charles, The Architecture of the Jumping Universe (London: Academy, 1995)
Pawley, Martin, Terminal Architecture (London: Reaktion Books,1998)
Frampton, Kenneth, Studies in Tectonic Culture: the poetics of construction in nineteenth and twentieth century architecture (London: Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts, 1995)
Kelly, Kevin, Out of Control: The New Biology of Machines (London: Fourth Estate, 1994)
Mitchell, William J. City of Bits: space, place and the infobahn (London: MIT Press, 1995)
Perez-Gomez, Alberto, Architecture and the Crisis of Modern Science (London: MIT Press, 1983)