Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Linkages (working title courtesy of christian)
I had lois email everyone, but as a reminder please email me: stephanwaz@gmail.com a pdf of the single sheet you turned in on wednesday for thesis prep. for those of you who submitted multiple sheets please put them all on a single board (any size, but high resolution)
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
blue paper
is anyone interested in some kind of collaborative thesis effort, i.e. a so-called "blue paper" group? shoot me an email if you are. likewise, we can survey the board outside the grad office one we've all posted our one page write-up.
chris
chris
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Independent study
Independent study-This is an option. Ideally a future thesis chair to run either a 299 or a 298. 299 is solo, 298 is group. There's a little confusion about whether this person can be a lecturer.
Notes From Meeting with Fraker
Minutes from the meeting w/ Harrison Fraker on August 22
We introduced the letter. HF: 'I wish I could have been there.'
Background - HE's always had a concern that
there is no History or Theory underpinnings. He has been concerned and
no one in the arch. dept. has addressed this matter.
Strength of the thesis depends on committee and prep profs.
It is a reality that not all thesis proposals will be great, and not all
great buildings will be great theses.
Will participate in prep/brown bag.
Will give a reading list and latest article.
Will bring in some reviewers and tie it to lecture series.
Thesis - about becoming an individual designer
Suggestions:
Ask Mary for funding for publication.
Ask Mary for funding for GSR coordinator.
To Read:
Moneo's Theoretical Anxieties
Framptons Tectonic Culture
Bernard Hauser (sp?) response to Rowe and Slutzky- Transparenz - Literal
and Phenomenal
We introduced the letter. HF: 'I wish I could have been there.'
Background - HE's always had a concern that
there is no History or Theory underpinnings. He has been concerned and
no one in the arch. dept. has addressed this matter.
Strength of the thesis depends on committee and prep profs.
It is a reality that not all thesis proposals will be great, and not all
great buildings will be great theses.
Will participate in prep/brown bag.
Will give a reading list and latest article.
Will bring in some reviewers and tie it to lecture series.
Thesis - about becoming an individual designer
Suggestions:
Ask Mary for funding for publication.
Ask Mary for funding for GSR coordinator.
To Read:
Moneo's Theoretical Anxieties
Framptons Tectonic Culture
Bernard Hauser (sp?) response to Rowe and Slutzky- Transparenz - Literal
and Phenomenal
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Monday, August 20, 2007
lAt page of Rene's Syllabus
Sorry, it would only let me publish 5 images at a time. Here's the last page.
Rene David's thesis syllabus
Here's Rene's syllabus, I got permission to share it with you. Some of the readings are similar to Nezar's, Rem SMLXL for instance. My biggest problem with this syllabus is that 2/3s of the term is taken up with general background reading whereas only 1/3 of the term is spent on individual readings related directly to our research topic. Some of the assignments seem helpful, but some seem more general, geared to folks who don't know what they want to do. It suggests that almost two syllabai are needed, one for folks who are still trying to figure out their topic and one for those who already have. Also, I feel that thesis prep should result in getting much of our writing done for thesis. At least the background chapters of our thesis should be written.
Saturday, August 18, 2007
SIMPLE THINGS THAT MIGHT HELP MAKE FOR A HAPPIER THESIS EXPERIENCE
Recently, I have had some long talks with people who completed their theses last year or are planning their work for next year. That made me recall that I owe the blog a second post – but instead of a book suggestion, I will offer some thoughts on what I think helps make a successful research project (e.g., written or designed thesis, book, etc.). I am surely missing big areas that should be addressed, which Nezar, Renee, Roddy, Susan or others closer to the process than I can add. I also think that some of my comments overlap with advice Nezar has offered elsewhere, and apologize for redundancy.
• Do not pick – or avoid – a topic because it is uncool, too cool, etc. You want a challenge that lacks an obvious answer. Your topic should interest you enough that you will want to talk constantly about it for 1-2 years (Branners taking longer). It may be that the topic will also lay a foundation for your future as a professional or academic, so identify a problem that you find worthwhile and having sufficient depth in areas you like to work. You should be looking for how a more general question is shaped by your unusual perspective, skills and interests.
In thesis prep, do a literature search, identify and closely study related precedents, set out a group of criterion that define the problem and a way that you will assess whether you have been successful. Be very clear on the issues that are at the heart of the project, because you may (even in the Spring) find yourself tightening up the thesis topic or adding to it. You want to be able to assess whether adding (or subtracting) something helps you or distracts you.
As a reminder, start a file of some sort that will allow you to quickly review materials you collect, such as notes taken from books, graphics, etc.
• Identify the resources you need to accomplish your research. There are a number of different kinds of resources: your skills and knowledge; the people resources you can call on; equipment available; etc. (You can certainly come up with more such points.) Some that are often overlooked are the small grants and fellowships available to students through the department or university, local experts who cannot sit on your committee, unique local populations, etc. Part of the thesis prep should be to note what resources you already have access to and what ones you need to develop or get access to.
• You will be happier if you think about the people side of a successful thesis. First, consider honestly who you are and what you can do to make this conclude happily. Ideally, you bring a positive attitude, great time management skills, a strong ability to assess whether the work is progressing on track, rigor, and the ability to know when and how to demand help. I think few of us can claim all of that. If possible, during the Fall take classes (or read books) that might help with things like time management. You also need to get your support networks and systems in place to help you, because the thesis – any thesis – is at its heart an ambitious INDEPENDENT effort.
One support network is family and friends. Make sure that family, roommates and others who are unfamiliar with the process know you will need warm, generous comments when you are freaking out and a kick in the toosh when you are watching t.v. every night. Set dates with spouses and others you do not want to lose through neglect (and keep those dates). This network is a great one to help you keep a positive attitude, and perhaps to engage in reality checks. They can help with time management issues if they agree to take on some of your normal responsibilities, too.
Another support network that seems to get very little play in our department is akin to dissertation writing circles – a small group of 4-6 people you trust that you can sit down with about once every 3 or 4 weeks to do a progress and process check. This is the place where you can swap advice about how to use faculty wisely, for example. This network can help you with identifying roadblocks and how to overcome them, and may be useful in checking that you are genuinely making progress, staying on schedule, and working rigorously (no professor will ever be as ready to call bullsh*t as a friend you trust).
The faculty committee is your third support network. I think we get burdened with things that sometimes would be better served in the other networks, like emotional support or kicking tooshie. Faculty committees ANYWHERE AND AT ANY LEVEL are notoriously hands off. In truth, faculty are pretty overscheduled and when we have free time we would rather be thinking about our research than yours. So you need to know how to use us, and not assume that we are worrying about your thesis as much as you are. This group helps assess the quality of work and its rigor, identifies blindspots, and may be good at connecting you with resources. Students often want faculty to address time management, attitude, and things you can cover elsewhere – and in the process, I think such students waste the limited amount of time you can reasonably demand of faculty.
Since I am a professor (and one frankly selfish of my time), I would also add that it helps when you meet with committee members if you have a set schedule (once every two weeks?) and communicate clearly at the beginning of the meeting what you what to accomplish in the discussion, then conclude at the end by agreeing what the next step should be. Writing the goal for next time down in an e-mail or research notebook, and then starting the next session by acknowledging it is also helpful. Take notes – nothing is more annoying that saying the same thing to a very tired student two or three times in a row and not even getting the concern acknowledged in any substantive fashion. It also helps to conclude meetings with faculty by going over the big context: where the project is and where you want to be at the end, what is not yet accomplished towards that goal, etc. Meet with committee members individually (in general), but in temporal clusters.
• Have a clear sense of where you want to be at the end of the process, and make a schedule that works for you (calendar, critical path chart, etc.). The schedule should also include key deadlines set by the university, the department and in your classes (tests, papers, etc.) so that you will keep on top of them. If you need lead time (e.g., for a course assignment), note the beginning points in your schedule, too, in order to give yourself time to meet the deadline. Formally, I like critical path charts, because they show how spinning your wheels at an early stage will rob you of your conclusion. If you have to rework the critical path schedule each week, do so OVER the existing one, so you can clearly see this slippage. Refer to the schedule regularly – at the start of each week is a good time, since it will help you set tasks for the week. When you set tasks for the week, give yourself differing ones to keep several activities going. A typical list for a one-week period might include “review research on curtain wall systems that reduce heat gain, start wall sections on south and west facades, rough out the written text on how walls affect thermal comfort” and other similar points. Your “to do” list will help you know what to do when the design is stuck, and can encourage appropriately synergetic activities.
• The last point I will add is frankly the most controversial: be reasonable. I think the students who are most unhappy have bitten off too big a problem – whether just too darned big, or too big for them, or too big for one short semester. The thesis statement can help keep your intellectual challenge bounded, but think carefully about other issues, too: scale, production time for drawings and models, some down time for your mental health, etc. It is not a long way from early January to the end of April.
Having said that, I just bumped into a student last week who should have completed his thesis two years ago and was only just bringing it in. He was delighted by his work and glad he took the extra time. You may be one of the people who have the financial resources to take this approach, and have a topic important enough to dedicate the time. But that thesis, that student, is rare; most students would be better off being reasonable.
Finally, it seems to me that most of us somehow believe a thesis in architecture is different than a thesis in other departments. While our problems are perhaps more complex and thus “wicked,” your thesis has much in common with any other research projects. Look at advice on the web or in books regarding successful masters theses, dissertations, and book production. Some will speak directly to you.
Hope this helps~ If you have comments or you do want me to elaborate, that positive attitude (Christian...) is a nice place to start from.
• Do not pick – or avoid – a topic because it is uncool, too cool, etc. You want a challenge that lacks an obvious answer. Your topic should interest you enough that you will want to talk constantly about it for 1-2 years (Branners taking longer). It may be that the topic will also lay a foundation for your future as a professional or academic, so identify a problem that you find worthwhile and having sufficient depth in areas you like to work. You should be looking for how a more general question is shaped by your unusual perspective, skills and interests.
In thesis prep, do a literature search, identify and closely study related precedents, set out a group of criterion that define the problem and a way that you will assess whether you have been successful. Be very clear on the issues that are at the heart of the project, because you may (even in the Spring) find yourself tightening up the thesis topic or adding to it. You want to be able to assess whether adding (or subtracting) something helps you or distracts you.
As a reminder, start a file of some sort that will allow you to quickly review materials you collect, such as notes taken from books, graphics, etc.
• Identify the resources you need to accomplish your research. There are a number of different kinds of resources: your skills and knowledge; the people resources you can call on; equipment available; etc. (You can certainly come up with more such points.) Some that are often overlooked are the small grants and fellowships available to students through the department or university, local experts who cannot sit on your committee, unique local populations, etc. Part of the thesis prep should be to note what resources you already have access to and what ones you need to develop or get access to.
• You will be happier if you think about the people side of a successful thesis. First, consider honestly who you are and what you can do to make this conclude happily. Ideally, you bring a positive attitude, great time management skills, a strong ability to assess whether the work is progressing on track, rigor, and the ability to know when and how to demand help. I think few of us can claim all of that. If possible, during the Fall take classes (or read books) that might help with things like time management. You also need to get your support networks and systems in place to help you, because the thesis – any thesis – is at its heart an ambitious INDEPENDENT effort.
One support network is family and friends. Make sure that family, roommates and others who are unfamiliar with the process know you will need warm, generous comments when you are freaking out and a kick in the toosh when you are watching t.v. every night. Set dates with spouses and others you do not want to lose through neglect (and keep those dates). This network is a great one to help you keep a positive attitude, and perhaps to engage in reality checks. They can help with time management issues if they agree to take on some of your normal responsibilities, too.
Another support network that seems to get very little play in our department is akin to dissertation writing circles – a small group of 4-6 people you trust that you can sit down with about once every 3 or 4 weeks to do a progress and process check. This is the place where you can swap advice about how to use faculty wisely, for example. This network can help you with identifying roadblocks and how to overcome them, and may be useful in checking that you are genuinely making progress, staying on schedule, and working rigorously (no professor will ever be as ready to call bullsh*t as a friend you trust).
The faculty committee is your third support network. I think we get burdened with things that sometimes would be better served in the other networks, like emotional support or kicking tooshie. Faculty committees ANYWHERE AND AT ANY LEVEL are notoriously hands off. In truth, faculty are pretty overscheduled and when we have free time we would rather be thinking about our research than yours. So you need to know how to use us, and not assume that we are worrying about your thesis as much as you are. This group helps assess the quality of work and its rigor, identifies blindspots, and may be good at connecting you with resources. Students often want faculty to address time management, attitude, and things you can cover elsewhere – and in the process, I think such students waste the limited amount of time you can reasonably demand of faculty.
Since I am a professor (and one frankly selfish of my time), I would also add that it helps when you meet with committee members if you have a set schedule (once every two weeks?) and communicate clearly at the beginning of the meeting what you what to accomplish in the discussion, then conclude at the end by agreeing what the next step should be. Writing the goal for next time down in an e-mail or research notebook, and then starting the next session by acknowledging it is also helpful. Take notes – nothing is more annoying that saying the same thing to a very tired student two or three times in a row and not even getting the concern acknowledged in any substantive fashion. It also helps to conclude meetings with faculty by going over the big context: where the project is and where you want to be at the end, what is not yet accomplished towards that goal, etc. Meet with committee members individually (in general), but in temporal clusters.
• Have a clear sense of where you want to be at the end of the process, and make a schedule that works for you (calendar, critical path chart, etc.). The schedule should also include key deadlines set by the university, the department and in your classes (tests, papers, etc.) so that you will keep on top of them. If you need lead time (e.g., for a course assignment), note the beginning points in your schedule, too, in order to give yourself time to meet the deadline. Formally, I like critical path charts, because they show how spinning your wheels at an early stage will rob you of your conclusion. If you have to rework the critical path schedule each week, do so OVER the existing one, so you can clearly see this slippage. Refer to the schedule regularly – at the start of each week is a good time, since it will help you set tasks for the week. When you set tasks for the week, give yourself differing ones to keep several activities going. A typical list for a one-week period might include “review research on curtain wall systems that reduce heat gain, start wall sections on south and west facades, rough out the written text on how walls affect thermal comfort” and other similar points. Your “to do” list will help you know what to do when the design is stuck, and can encourage appropriately synergetic activities.
• The last point I will add is frankly the most controversial: be reasonable. I think the students who are most unhappy have bitten off too big a problem – whether just too darned big, or too big for them, or too big for one short semester. The thesis statement can help keep your intellectual challenge bounded, but think carefully about other issues, too: scale, production time for drawings and models, some down time for your mental health, etc. It is not a long way from early January to the end of April.
Having said that, I just bumped into a student last week who should have completed his thesis two years ago and was only just bringing it in. He was delighted by his work and glad he took the extra time. You may be one of the people who have the financial resources to take this approach, and have a topic important enough to dedicate the time. But that thesis, that student, is rare; most students would be better off being reasonable.
Finally, it seems to me that most of us somehow believe a thesis in architecture is different than a thesis in other departments. While our problems are perhaps more complex and thus “wicked,” your thesis has much in common with any other research projects. Look at advice on the web or in books regarding successful masters theses, dissertations, and book production. Some will speak directly to you.
Hope this helps~ If you have comments or you do want me to elaborate, that positive attitude (Christian...) is a nice place to start from.
readings
the following readings are in no particular order, aside from the order in which they are currently stacked next to my desk.
Edward Tufte : Envisioning Information
Venturi : Complexity and Contradiction
Plater-Zyberk + Jeff Speck + Andres Duany : Suburban Nation : The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream
PRAXIS vol 6 : New Technologies ://New Architectures
Stan Allen : Points + Lines : Diagrams and Projects for the City
Pamphlet Archtiecture vol 27 : Tooling
Michel Foucault : The Archeology of Knowledge and the Discourse on Language
Hilde Heynen : Architecture and Modernity : A Critique
Tom Robbins : Skinny Legs and All
Cecil Balmond : Informal
Deleuze + Guattari : A Thousand Plateaus
OMA : SMLXL
Stan Allen : Practice : Architecture, Technique and Representation
Exit Utopia : Architectural Provocations 1956-1976
Rafael Moneo : Theoretical Anxiety and Design Strategies
FROM the OpPOSITIONS READER :
3. On Reading Heidegger : Kenneth Frampton
9. Post-Functionalism : Peter Eisenman
18. Monument/Memory and the Mortality of Architecture
39. Industrialization and the Crises in Architecture : Kenneth Frampton
105. Aldo Rossi : Thhe idea of Architecture and the Modena Cemetery : Rafael Moneo
188. Aspects of Modernism :Maison Domino and the Self-Referential Sign : Peter Eisenman
331. Design vs. Non-Design : Diana Agrest
355. Archtiecture and Transgression : Bernard Tschumi
365. The Beauty of Shadows : Jorge Silvetti
437. The Idea of Type : The Transformation of the Academic Ideal 17650-1830 : Anthony Vidler
579. The Architects' Ball - A Vignette : Rem Koolhaas
FROM ARCHITECTURE THEORY SINCE 1968 : Michael Hays
2. Towards a Critique of Architectural Ideology : Manfredo Tafuri
72. Introduction to Five Architects : Colin Rowe
214. The Architectural Paradox : Bernard Tschumi
296. Heterotopias and the History of Spaces : Georges Teyssot
306. Post Modern Architecture : Charles A. Jencks
362. The Status of Man and the Status of His Objects : Kenneth Frampton
428. Space Knowledge and Power : Michel Foucault (an interview with Paul Rabinow)
478. In Front of Lines that Leave Nothing Behind : Robin Evans
490. Architectural Design as a System of Research Programs : Stanford Anderson
588. La Citta Nuova :Modernity and Continuity : Stanford Kwinter
660. The Translation of Architecture, the Production of Babel : Mark Wigley
The rest of my books are in my trunk because they dont fit in my room - so Ill post more once I dig them out.
Enjoy.
Edward Tufte : Envisioning Information
Venturi : Complexity and Contradiction
Plater-Zyberk + Jeff Speck + Andres Duany : Suburban Nation : The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream
PRAXIS vol 6 : New Technologies ://New Architectures
Stan Allen : Points + Lines : Diagrams and Projects for the City
Pamphlet Archtiecture vol 27 : Tooling
Michel Foucault : The Archeology of Knowledge and the Discourse on Language
Hilde Heynen : Architecture and Modernity : A Critique
Tom Robbins : Skinny Legs and All
Cecil Balmond : Informal
Deleuze + Guattari : A Thousand Plateaus
OMA : SMLXL
Stan Allen : Practice : Architecture, Technique and Representation
Exit Utopia : Architectural Provocations 1956-1976
Rafael Moneo : Theoretical Anxiety and Design Strategies
FROM the OpPOSITIONS READER :
3. On Reading Heidegger : Kenneth Frampton
9. Post-Functionalism : Peter Eisenman
18. Monument/Memory and the Mortality of Architecture
39. Industrialization and the Crises in Architecture : Kenneth Frampton
105. Aldo Rossi : Thhe idea of Architecture and the Modena Cemetery : Rafael Moneo
188. Aspects of Modernism :Maison Domino and the Self-Referential Sign : Peter Eisenman
331. Design vs. Non-Design : Diana Agrest
355. Archtiecture and Transgression : Bernard Tschumi
365. The Beauty of Shadows : Jorge Silvetti
437. The Idea of Type : The Transformation of the Academic Ideal 17650-1830 : Anthony Vidler
579. The Architects' Ball - A Vignette : Rem Koolhaas
FROM ARCHITECTURE THEORY SINCE 1968 : Michael Hays
2. Towards a Critique of Architectural Ideology : Manfredo Tafuri
72. Introduction to Five Architects : Colin Rowe
214. The Architectural Paradox : Bernard Tschumi
296. Heterotopias and the History of Spaces : Georges Teyssot
306. Post Modern Architecture : Charles A. Jencks
362. The Status of Man and the Status of His Objects : Kenneth Frampton
428. Space Knowledge and Power : Michel Foucault (an interview with Paul Rabinow)
478. In Front of Lines that Leave Nothing Behind : Robin Evans
490. Architectural Design as a System of Research Programs : Stanford Anderson
588. La Citta Nuova :Modernity and Continuity : Stanford Kwinter
660. The Translation of Architecture, the Production of Babel : Mark Wigley
The rest of my books are in my trunk because they dont fit in my room - so Ill post more once I dig them out.
Enjoy.
Friday, August 17, 2007
Mission Statement Draft
As we begin our thesis, we want to be certain that the M.Arch program can provide us with the intellectual resources and contemporary perspective that are critical to the successful formation and execution of relevant design theses. It is imperative that the CED's self-professed activist intentions remain grounded in critical, rigorous, and experimental design, using the particular tools of our discipline. Our aim is to resolve these issues and build confidence throughout the course of thesis.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
summer waning
Dear Students,
It's inspiring to see that you have begun already to work toward the framing of your theses, through reading and conversation.
I have undertaken some new readings this summer, and reread some old favorites-- in the hope that they may become common texts for the coming year--
Manfredo Tafuri, Architecture and Utopia
Sanford Kwinter, Architectures of Time
Susan Sontag, Against Interpretation
Annie Dillard, Living by Fiction
Edward Soja, Postmodern Geographies
and many others.
Let me know if you would like to have a preliminary meeting next week.
Best,
JStoner
It's inspiring to see that you have begun already to work toward the framing of your theses, through reading and conversation.
I have undertaken some new readings this summer, and reread some old favorites-- in the hope that they may become common texts for the coming year--
Manfredo Tafuri, Architecture and Utopia
Sanford Kwinter, Architectures of Time
Susan Sontag, Against Interpretation
Annie Dillard, Living by Fiction
Edward Soja, Postmodern Geographies
and many others.
Let me know if you would like to have a preliminary meeting next week.
Best,
JStoner
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