Syllabus

PLS0078 Advanced Landscape Theory, 15.0 Credits

Subjects

Education cycle

Grading scale

Language

Prior knowledge

Objectives

Learning outcomes:

The aim of the course is to learn to use and apply key concepts within landscape theory in architectural and planning practice in a critical way, and to offer an historical and philosophical background to the use of concepts and tools in landscape architecture.

After completion of the course, the student should be able to:

• show insight into how the use of key concepts matter for the everyday planning and design practice,

• elaborate on the historical background for key concepts, and

• critically engage with the interface between working concepts and practice.

Content

This course is concerned with key concepts in landscape architecture and planning practice, such as place, space, nature, culture, scale, environment, power, democracy, heritage, representation and landscape. These concepts are sites of conflict, with different interests seeking to define them in their own way. The course seeks to give the student insight into how to critically use theoretical concepts to inform and guide an inclusive and just landscape architectural and planning practice. It also provides a historical and philosophical back-ground on the development of the key concepts, and of how their use has shaped the land. An important aspect of the course is the insight that society and its landscapes are not uniform, but are made of multiple activities, power-relations and processes.

The first part of the course is based on compulsory literature seminars on different themes. The readings will be discussed during 8 compulsory seminars, based on the 8 themes. The aim of the seminars is to support you in acquiring a thorough and complex understanding of the different concepts and themes. A key insight that the course aims to convey, is an understanding of concepts, not as fixed and finished, but as living and contested tools that enable the conception of new approaches to the planning practice of landscape architects and planners. How you think and reflect about landscape can have a big effect on the way you plan, design and manage landscape.

You are expected to read and be prepared to discuss all compulsory readings for each theme. Prepare each seminar by 1) reading the 3-4 compulsory texts in the reading list, and perhaps more if you like, 2) writing and handing in a written assignment, a personal reflection, on the compulsory readings to that theme – these should not be thought of as an exam, where you must give the "right" answer, we are interested in what you think (see further instructions below). To each seminar, 3 to 4 of you also compose an oral presentation about one of the compulsory readings (see further information below), to present at the seminar.

The overall aim with the written assignments, the oral presentations and the discussions at the seminars is to enable an active, in-depth and critical understanding. We encourage you to share your insights and inspiration at the seminar, as well as your struggles with understanding the texts or if you are critical to the text in some way or the other.

A purpose of the seminars is to give the students the chance to develop their own opinions on the articles reads, without being told beforehand what to think. Each seminar will be followed by a lecture (efterläsning) on the theme, held by a researcher who has specific knowledge of the theme discussed in the seminar. By having the lecture after the seminar you will be well prepared to ask challenging questions following the lecture. The lectures will help you to develop your ideas and theoretical framework further, and more deeply explore the theme. Take the opportunity to ask the lecturers questions that arose during the seminars or questions you have about their texts.

Literature seminars (including preparatory work), excursion and final seminar are compulsory.

Pedagogical form:

The course combines group discussion of central theoretical texts with a field study of key up-to-date examples of landscape architectural and planning practice. Emphasis is set on the key concepts, which will be treated in the context of the actual architectural and planning practice, on various "scales". Literature seminars and lectures on different themes form the base of the course. The course concludes with a final paper which should be informed by the reading and discussion on the key concepts. Success as a student depends on the ability to be able to make key concepts speak to the particular subject or problem that the student is studying in his/her doctoral-thesis. This means learning to think about concepts not as something to be memorised, but as flexible tools for critical analysis and creative work.

Additional information

Responsible department

Department of Landscape Architecture, Planning and Management