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AR5011 

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
   2016/2017, Semester 2
   School of Design and Environment (Architecture)
Modular Credits: 4
  Tags: --

Synopsis

TopThis course examines parameters that are set and/or claimed for undertaking research in the field of architecture in general and leading to the writing and presentation of a M.Arch dissertation in particular. It begins by sketching a brief image of the relation between research and design in architecture and then proceeds to discuss the common foundation of research, followed by more focused investigations into different research approaches. For every session, the course instructor offers a short lecture and subsequently leads and facilitates seminal discussions based on students’ presentation of their critical reading of assigned papers, articles and/or book chapters.  

Learning Outcomes

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  1. To gain understanding of the status and function of research in the formation of knowledge and in acquiring analytical skills.
  2. To gain understanding of approaches, methods, aims and ethics employed in conducting research.
  3. To prepare grounds for undertaking research, leading to the writing of dissertations for degrees in the Department of Architecture.

Prerequisites

TopThis course is offered to students enrolled in BA (Arch) Level 4, M.Arch 1 & MAUD degree courses in the Department of Architecture. Students are expected to have completed requisite undergraduate studies in architecture and related studies; students are also expected to have interest in reading critically, in writing purposefully and with conviction. The course is offered as an elective to students with interests in understanding research. 

Schedule

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Part I: Common Foundations


Wk 1                      13 Jan       Briefing & presentation sign up [JC]

Wk 2                      20 Jan       Introduction: Scope, approaches, materials and tasks [JC]

                                                              Till, Jeremy. ‘What is Architectural Research?’ [online:http://www.architecture.com/Files/RIBAProfessionalServices/ResearchAndDevelopment/WhatisArchitecturalResearch.pdf]

Wk 3                      27 Jan       Research and Design Cooperation [ZY] 
                                                              Zeisel, John. 2006. "Research and Design Cooperation." In Inquiry by Design, 47-74. London and New York: W.W. Norton & Company. 
                                                              Groat, Linda and David, Wang. 2013. "Does Design Equal Research?" In Architectural Research Methods, 21-62. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons.

Wk 4                      03 Feb       What is (Architectural) Research? What is a Research Question? [ZY]
                                                               Hedrick, Terry E, Leonard, Brickman and Debra J Rog. 1993. "Defining the Focus of the Research." In Applied Research Design: A Practical Guide, 15-37. Newbury Park, London and New Delhi: SAGE Publications. 
                                                               White, Patrick. 2009. "What Makes a Research Question?" In Developing Research Questions: A Guide for Social Scientists, 33-58. Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan.

Wk 5                     10 Feb        Determining the Hypotheses [ZY]
                                                              Beveridge, W.I.B. 1957. “Hypothesis.” In The Art of Scientific Investigation, 41-52. London: W. Heinemann.
                                                              Forcese, Dennis and Stephen Richter. 1973. “Models, Hypotheses and Theory.” In Social Research Methods, 37-52. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall.
 
Wk 6                     17 Feb        Literature Review: Identifying Gaps and Raising New Questions [JC]
                                                              Creswell, John W. 2003. “Review of the Literature.” In Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative and Mixed Methods Approaches, 27-48. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications. 
                                                              Hart, Chris. 1999. "The Literature Review in Research." In Doing a Literature Review: Releasing the Social Science Research Imagination, 1-25. London and New Delhi: SAGE Publications.

18 Feb - 26 Feb                        Recess week
         
                                              [Submission of Research Proposal Draft on 27 Feb, 2017]

                                              Hard Copy submission to Architecture Department Office by 5pm
                                              Soft Copy submission to IVLE by 23:59 hour 27 Feb 2017
                                        
 
 Part II: Topical Cases in Research Methods
 
Wk 7                        03 Mar      Library sessions [WW] 
                                                Slot 1:10 am            Slot 2: 2 pm (if the total number of students enrolled are more than 25)      
 
                                                Location: CL Training Room, Level 6 Central Library (enter the library at level 4, and take the internal stairs to level 6). Please be on time for the library session

                                            [Submission of Library assignment by 10 March, 2017]
                                                 Hard Copy submission to Architecture Department Office by 5pm
                                                 Ensure your name, and matric number is clearly stated in your submission.

Wk 8                       10 Mar       Qualitative Approaches to Research: Interviews and Non-Participatory Observation [JC]

                                                                  Patton, Michael.Q. 2002. “The Nature of Qualitative Inquiry.” In Qualitative Evaluation Methods, 9-34.  Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications. 
                                                                Whyte, William F. 1984. “Observational Methods.” In Learning from the Field: a guide from experience, 83-96. Newbury Park, California: Sage Publications.
 
Wk 9                       17 Mar       Quantitative Approaches to Research: Experiment and Survey [ZY]
                                                                 Creswell, John W. 2013. "Quantitative Methods." In Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches, 155- 82. London and New Delhi: SAGE Publications.
                                                                 Punch, Keith F. 2005. "The Analysis of Quantitative Data." In Introduction to Social Research: Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches, 108-32. London, New Delhi and Singapore: SAGE Publications.

Wk 10                     24 Mar       Writing about Architecture: Mastering the Language of Buildings and Cities [JC]
                                                                Lange, Alexandra. 2012. Writing about Architecture. NY, NY: Princeton Architectural Press (Excerpts: ‘Introduction’, and ‘Save the Whitney’ by Michael Sorkin, and Chapter 3 ‘What’s worth preserving’); please note that the article by Sorkin should be read together with chapter 3.

Wk 11                     31 Mar       Critical Perspectives in Architectural Research [IT]
                                                                Goldhagen, Sarah W. 2000. “Coda: Reconceptualizing the Modern.” In Anxious Modernisms: Experimentation in Postwar Architectural Culture, edited by Sarah Williams Goldhagen and Rejéan Legault, 301-23. Cambridge: MIT Press.
                                                                Kusno, Abidin. 2000. “Imagining Regionalism, Re-Fashioning Orientalism: Some Current Architectural Discourses in Southeast Asia.” Journal of Southeast Asian Architecture 4.1: 45-61.

Wk 12                      7 Apr         Discussions and Conclusions

Wk 13                    14 Apr         Public holiday (No Class)
 
                                                 [Submission of Final Research Proposal on 21 Apr, 2017]
                                                 Hard Copy submission to Architecture Department Office by 5pm
                                                 Soft Copy submission to IVLE by 23:59 hour 21 April 2017
 

Assessment

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1.       Presentation (10%)

Every student is to present their understanding of the assigned reading materials once during this course. Excellent presentations should aim to go beyond the readings to raise new questions and criticisms for research methodologies

In the case where more than one student has selected the same reading for presentation, you may team up. A common grade will be given to the group for presentation. 

The presentation is graded based on the following criteria: 

            a) Clarity of oral presentation; 
 
            b) Clear and cogent structure of presentation;
 
            c) Capacity to captivate attention and to raise questions from the audience. 

 

2.       Library Assignment (10%)

The NUS Central Library is a vital resource and archive for research work.  The assignment ensuing from the library sessions will constitute this assignment component. All students must attend the library session. 

The assignment can be taken in your own time after the library session but must be completed latest prior to or by 10 March, 2017. 

 

3.       Research Proposal Draft (30%)

Each student must submit a research proposal draft by 27 February 2017 (a box will be placed on the DOA counter). The draft is aimed at setting your initial thoughts, grounds and premises for undertaking a proposed research project as well as prescribing the means and approaches for its conduct. 

In this course, the aim of the research proposal draft is twofold: first, to garner feedback from the instructors, and second, to set up a feasible platform and structure for you to develop your final research proposal (see below). Your research proposal draft is expected to demonstrate the following:

a)       A preliminary title

b)       Five keywords

c)       A clear introduction to your topic and research question(s) 

For this section, please refer to the readings of the session: What is (Architectural) Research? What is a Research Question?, and to apply the knowledge from the readings to explain in no more than 500 words how you formulate your research question(s). 

d)       A clear statement of research hypotheses

For this section, please refer to the readings of the session: Determining the Hypotheses, and to apply the knowledge from the readings to explain in no more than 300 words how you develop your research hypotheses. 

e)       Preliminary review of literature on your research topic

For this section, please refer to the readings of the session: Literature Review: Identifying Gaps and Raising New Questions, and to apply the knowledge from the readings to explain in 1000 words the state of the art of the field under investigation and identify the current knowledge gaps.

f)         Proposed methods for your research (this part can remain sketchy)

You need to refer to the readings of the second part of the module and explain the approaches in which your proposed research should and could be conducted. Should quantitative, qualitative or mixed methods be used? What methods can be adopted and adapted to collect data, enabling analyses and yielding evidence to verify/refute hypotheses and answer research questions. 

g)       Bibliography (to be sectioned as “books”, “journals”, “newspapers” and other headings) [Citation Standard: Chicago Manual of Style (16th ed.), Author-date system to be used]

This draft bibliography is provisional and shall be expanded in the final proposal.

           The research proposal draft should be about 2,500 words.  

 

4.       Final Research Proposal Assignment (50%)

Each student must submit a final research proposal by 21 April 2017 (a box will be placed on the DOA counter). The final research proposal is the most important assignment in this course. Please take special care and time to write this proposal. We caution against last minute work. The dissertation proposal is a development of your earlier submitted research proposal draft. If you have followed the class closely so far and have been handing up your assignments on time, you should already have the major elements that can be used for this final research proposal. However, each element of the proposal, in particular research methods, should be strengthened. 

The final research proposal MUST consists of the following and in the following order:

    a)  Title of research 

    b) Abstract of about 150 words being a concise description of intent, topic, question and method. 

    c)  Five Keywords 

   d) Research Question & Hypothesis

   e) Assessment of the Field (include a literature review and significance of the proposed research)

   f)   Research Methods 

   g) Anticipated limitations of methods and anticipated ethical issues

   h) *Bibliography (to be sectioned as “books”, “journals”, “newspapers” and other headings) 

     *[Citation Standard: Chicago Manual of Style (16th ed.), Author-date system to be used]

The final research proposal, without the bibliography, should be about 3,000 words.

Furthermore, the cover page of your proposal must bear the title of your proposal, your name, and matric number. 

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