module specification

Critical Thinking: Research Methods aims to examine the production of architectural knowledge through research with an emphasis on the relationship between histories, theories, techniques and methodologies in regard to architecture, its design, assembly and interpretation. You will consider the constitution and value of architectural knowledge in relation to competing demands and the methods by which it may be brought into being. With a focus on the capacity for critical thinking, the module aims to equip you to embark – in the following year of study – upon producing your own advanced output in the form of a thesis (written dissertation or composite study) at postgraduate level in architecture.

Critical thinking is a valuable capability and, in the context of architectural research and practice, an essential competency. Through a combination of lectures, classroom seminar learning and engagement in themed tutorial groups, the module aims to develop your literacy regarding architectural research in its cultural and epistemological context, as well as in the context of climate change. You will develop a familiarity with established and innovative methods of research in which concerns regarding context, ethical and professional, health and life safety, technical and environmental issues are accounted for. The content of the module will offer a pathway towards improved command over the methods of knowledge, production and interpretation, so as to be practically and intellectually competent in the field.

The module aims to provide a practical framework through which you can address the academic discipline of architecture as outlined in the ARB/RIBA Joint Criteria ‘The Way Ahead, Education Themes and Values’ 2021 as well as ‘Guidance Notes to Institutions’ issued by the ARB in 2021 outlining the core competences expected at RIBA 2.

Critical thinking concerns the intellectual process of analysing, sorting, conceptualising, interpreting and synthesising the matter at hand: of making sense of facts, observations and opinions. Critical thinking is essential to learning and living effectively. It is more than just thinking; one might instead say it comprises thinking about your thinking – while you’re thinking – in order to make your thinking better. As such, critical thinking has a sense of direction. It is geared towards improvement and productive resolution. In this way we can think of critical thinking as the engine of knowledge and therefore an essential dimension of research.

The course of study offered in this module is divided into two overlapping parts. It begins with an introduction to the intellectual conditions under which the production of architectural and urban knowledge takes place, and an appraisal of research methodology. Thereafter, it provides a context in which to test and apply critical and practical research methods. Your learning experience in the first part – comprising the first few weeks of instruction – will emphasise lecture delivery and classroom teaching, equipping you with conceptual tools and practical methods for conducting research. In the second part, you will focus on a personally selected area of study anchored to one of several themed tutorial groups. These groups may range from historical and philosophical themes, to an interest in digital culture, architectural conservation, or the context of environmental crisis. You will gain experience of generating a research topic, presenting your research intentions in the form of a project design, formulating an argument, analysing evidence and generating productive criticism.

The syllabus for self-directed research will naturally vary, but core areas of study will include an introduction to the research process, from understanding what knowledge might be to developing a researchable question; research methodology and ethical issues, critical analysis and field research, research project and outputs planning, evidence gathering and writing skills.

Scheduled teaching ensures that independent study is effective in addressing the module’s learning outcomes and assessment tasks. Appropriate and diverse learning strategies will be deployed, accommodating individual learning styles. Information is provided through a range of means and sources to ameliorate barriers to successful progress through the module. The course team seeks to embed the University’s Education for Social Justice Framework in fostering learning that is enjoyable, accessible, relevant and that takes account of the social and cultural context and capital of its students.

Activities and the tutorial group structure of the module foster peer-to-peer community building and support for learning. Reflective learning is promoted through interim formative feedback (including classroom discussion within tutor groups) that invites you and other students to reflect on your progress, receive help where you identify the opportunity for improvement in learning strategies and outcomes, and set your own agenda in terms of future development. Throughout the module, you will progressively move along the pathway of developing coursework, engaging in the content of your learning while reflecting on your progress.

The School’s programme of employability events and embedded work-based learning within the curriculum supports your personal and career development planning as an individual, and within the context of the student cohort. Through these initiatives, you are increasingly able - as you progress - to understand the professional environment of the discipline, the various opportunities available and how to shape your learning according to your ambitions and aspirations.

On satisfactory completion of the Critical Thinking: Research Methods module, a number of Learning Outcomes (LOs) will have been addressed. Each is related to the Architecture RIBA 2 - MArch Course Learning Outcomes (CLO). You will:

1. have acquired knowledge of literature relevant to critical thinking in architecture comprising a culturally and contextually grounded vocabulary of concepts (CLO 11(a) 1, 2, 3, 4);

2. be able to compose an argument relevant to and framed by architectural debate, motivated in relation to historical, theoretical and/or technical parameters (CLO 11(b) 4);

3. have the capacity to develop a critical view of a work of architecture, urban design or other output of architectural knowledge, rigorously situated in debate (CLO 11(c) 2, 5);

4. be aware of and understand a range of research methods including critical and practical approaches to acquiring, organising and interpreting data (CLO 11(a) 2);

5. have developed an area of special interest, through seminar engagement with themed tutorial groups and the coursework, suited to advanced study with regard to the cultural, technical, digital and/or environmental understanding of architecture (CLO 11(b) 2, 3);

6. be equipped with transferable research design, planning and management skills, including the ability to identify a viable research topic as well as communication and report-writing skills (CLO 11(d) 1, 2, 4).

Assessment items will be based on:
• a 3,000-word essay (Component 1, 75%) on a research topic of your choice, related to the intellectual content of the module;
• a 10-minute in-class presentation (Component 2, 25%) of your research proposal comprising an outline essay plan represented in visual material and a 10-minute narrative.

The rationale for the development and use of these assessment items is as follows:
• Component 1: the discipline of organising, thinking through and delivering a presentation in class, with your peers attending, will provide for assessing your practical capacity to argue for your ideas and intentions in a time-bound, intellectually orderly manner. The task of motivating your methodological approach will allow you to show judgement and exercise transferable skills likely to be relevant to your professional careers. 
• Component 2: an essay to the length of 3,000-words offers an opportunity for you to demonstrate and be assessed upon your knowledge and understanding of the subject matter and context as well as the intellectual skills to frame an argument. The essay form demands that you should put forward a case for your viewpoint or findings in which your critical acumen is tested, with a focus on a self-selected topic comprising an area of special interest, problematised so as to make it amenable to investigation through an argument developed in the essay;

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 all components.

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