Kelvin,
I have been
teaching design and architecture students for many years, and will be adding a
class in Social Science Methods for Landscape Architecture in the Fall, and a
service learning class on Environmental Harm and Mitigation. I have also
developed a two semester class in Environmental Psychology with a second
semester research component for a new program in Sustainable Interior Environments
expected to enroll students for the first time in 2010. All my classes
expect research from the students, both because I believe that the only way
students really learn is by hands-on work with issues that they care about, and
because they can become a more – dare I say—participatory group
when they can work on shaping each others’ work.
For the design students
I use chapters from Sommer and Sommer (A Practical Guide to Behavioral
Research) and from Zeisel (Inquiry by Design). The latter is more focused in
design issues, but both are effective in teaching non-scientists how to approach
research questions. I will be supplementing in the two semester class, with
other readings on issues like post occupancy evaluation, and focus groups (if I
can find something I like), but these two books form a decent core.
As for making the
case for the importance of research? Evidence is hard to come by unless we look
at all the design and architecture that results from a lack of research!
<s> There’s more than enough of that!
If you’d
like my syllabus (in draft form) for the class in Sustainable Interior
Environments, let me know off the list.
Best,
Nora
Nora J.
Rubinstein, Ph.D.
Place /Space
Associates
From: Discussion list on
participatory geographies [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of PYGYWG
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Sent: Wednesday, July 08, 2009 7:02 PM
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Subject: PYGYWG Digest - 7 Jul 2009 to 8 Jul 2009 (#2009-32)
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