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Syllabus

P000028 Criticality in Research / Criticality as Praxis: Knowledge tools for designing urban futures, 7.5 Credits

Subjects

Landscape Architecture

Education cycle

Postgraduate level

Grading scale

Language

English

Prior knowledge

The course is open for PhD students in the urban and landscape fields, for those in landscape architecture, and for those interested in urban design.

*Pre-seminar coursework*: Before participating in the seminar, students undertake 4 types of preparatory work over a period of 2 weeks prior to the first 2.5-day core seminar group meeting:

- closely read 4 required theory literature texts and prepare a 4-sentence *Rhetorical Précis* for each theory text and circulate via mail to all participants (following guidelines provided);
- closely read 3 required critical writing texts
- prepare a 3-sentence *Critical Précis* of the critical position they want to develop with their final paper (follow guidelines provided)
- prepare a 1-paragraph synopsis of their final paper topic

Objectives

By helping students develop an understanding of the concept of “criticality” through reading and group discussion of theoretical literature. The course offers students the following learning outcomes;

- how to critically reflect on their own PhD research practice and assess how it shapes the critical positions they formulate as part of their work;

- how to engage in guided peer-to-peer feedback using constructive commenting techniques that help others refine their research aims and questions;

- how to articulate, elaborate and integrate critical thinking in their PhD related research practice;

- how to use Rhetorical Précis as a tool to support critical research;

- how to use Critical Précis as a tool to formulate arguments and guide writing work as a means to test, refine and hone ideas.

Content

**Objectives: **The fundamental objective of this course is to introduce and support development of critical thinking skills, critical writing skills, and critically informed dissertation research at the PhD level.

Further, because criticality does not belong to any one discipline, and critical thinking offers a means of reflecting on the dynamic interplay of societal forces, professional activities, pedagogical and research methods structuring how we view, and make, our world, it is foundational for transdisciplinary work. Developing critical thinking skills helps us observe how disciplines operate – and to take a position on what we learn from these observations about disciplinary constraints and affordances. Each traditional subject area defines and deploys its own modes and methods of disciplined work: this course aims to mobilize the power of critical thinking to enrich and help evolve those epistemological norms and inherited practices towards new forms of transdisciplinary knowledge production relevant to sustainable urban landscape design challenges of our time.

Additional aims of the course include to:

• enhance SLU’s international visibility in the landscape field through high-quality PhD level educational offerings that strengthen its attractiveness to PhD students in landscape.
• contribute to the Urban Futures research platform mission to support development of transdisciplinary research and critically informed dissertation research at the PhD level
• reinforce the position of SLU’s unit for pedagogical development (EPU) that „Critical thinking and a critical approach are important recurring themes in higher education “. i

Content

“CRITICALITY IN RESEARCH/ CRITICALITY AS PRAXIS” part of a three-course series, initiated in 2018 by the Urban Futures Platform. The “Criticality” courses were originally conceived and developed as separate yet related “modules”. Each course iteration has its own literature list, seminar discussion topics (directly linked to the literature list) and focus, reflected in the distinct course titles. The first „Criticality in, on and for design“ delivers and tests a rigorous method for writing a design critique of a particular work of landscape architecture, recognizing that the field of landscape architecture had few robust models for scholarly critical writing on design work. The second „Criticality beyond disciplinarity”, presents criticality as a means to navigate the multitude of working knowledges and research methods available to PhD students working in the inherently multi-disciplinary field of landscape. The third, “Criticality in research/Criticality as praxis” builds on the prior two courses, foregrounding an essentially transdisciplinary perspective by exploring questions concerning the operative relationship between academic critical theory and critical practices within and beyond academia.

In terms of content (title, focus, literature list and basic assignments) the 2023 iteration of the “CRITICALITY IN RESEARCH/ CRITICALITY AS PRAXIS” course is fundamentally the same as the 2022 course. However, it is offered within a slightly modified course structure. In response to student feedback received over the years requesting more contact time with the teachers, this revised structure adds a longer duration second group-session devoted to pre-final paper presentations.

This module of the “Criticality” course series aims to strengthen awareness of the range of critical thinking models available to the researcher exploring questions pertinent to the landscape field. Critical research practice is a cross-disciplinary activity; however, we focus on landscape architecture to guarantee a shared area for our work, and to learn to recognize how products of specific disciplined knowledge production practices (including but not limited to design research) contribute to the evolution of thought and action. The course takes a landscape architectural perspective on urban landscapes but is very well suited for researchers from other design disciplines, or those interested in the field of design.

During the course, students will engage with two types of literature – 1) theoretical texts exploring the concepts of “criticality” and “disciplinarity” as these inform knowledge production and 2) sample publications presenting critical writings on design issues. During the core seminar meetings, rhetorical précis will be used to guide discussions of theoretical literature; sample critical publications will be presented and discussed to gain insight on how they are produced; and insights from the analysis will be used to inform participants ongoing development of their own critical research and writing skills. Discussions of student work will be driven by constructive inputs from fellow PhD students, Lisa Diedrich and Andrea Kahn. The first core-seminar includes three lecture presentations: by Lisa Diedrich (Director SLU Urban Futures platform, and editor of Landscape Architecture Europe/LAE) on critical and a-critical writing and publications within the context of landscape architecture as academic discipline and professional practice; by Andrea Kahn (design theorist, former SLU professor and founder of designCONTENT, a strategic consultancy) on critical thinking in research and praxis; and by an invited author who will present their critical research writing practice.

Additional information

**Pedagogical form**

This course foregrounds the practice and process of writing, as such – a critical (in the sense of key or foundational) component of doctoral level research, but one rarely accorded critical attention in its own right. Its pedagogical structure draws on established humanities and design approaches to advanced learning. It is grounded in close reading of a limited body of literature as a prerequisite for critically informed writing (from the fields of philosophy and comparative literature) and intensive critical engagement with in-process student research (from advanced design studio teaching practice developed in architecture, landscape architecture, and other creative fields).

The course consists of two (2) group meetings. The first is a 4-day intensive in-person start seminar (ca 24h), preceded by a preparation phase (ca 55h) with reading and short writing assignments, and followed by a writing-up phase (ca 70h) at distance. The second is an on-line pre-final paper- presentation session, scheduled over two ½ days at 2 x 4hrs = 8h), followed by an additional, final writing period (ca 20h) for students to integrate peer and instructor feedback provided during the 2nd group seminar into the final paper submission.

**Time table**

Course period: 1 August – 30 October 2023 as follows:

*Preparatory work: August 2023*

*First Core Seminar: 21-24 August 2023 (TBC)*

*Paper presentation session: 10-11 October 2023 (TBC) *

*Final papers due: 30 October 2023*

**COURSE APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS **

To apply, candidates should prepare the following and submit as one (1) PDF file, formatted with a document header that includes their full name and host institution:

- 1-paragraph statement with their motivation for participating in this course
- 1-page abstract of their PhD research project, including title
- PhD start date, name of supervisor(s) and home institution

Email your complete application PDF to course leaders, Lisa Diedrich & Andrea Kahn ([lisa.diedrich@slu.se](); [andrea.kahn@slu.se]()) by **17 April 2023. **

*Note: A nominal 1000 SEK (ca 100 EUR) fee will be required from non-SLU students. Accepted students will be asked to provide their invoicing information for processing.*

i [https://internt.slu.se/en/support-services/education/educational-and-digital-]() [support/courses--seminars/educating-for-critical-thinking-and-criticality/]()

Responsible department

Department of Landscape Architecture, Planning and Management