Dissertation mechanics 1

Aims •To engage with issues pertaining to the Architectural and Building Industry•To develop academic skills of research documentation•To develop skills in research techniques•To develop intellectual acuity•To develop rhetorical skills•To develop expository, analytical, organizational, demonstrative and procedural skills in written academicstudy

Objectives

•Conduct independent study under direction or supervision•Review information & technical resources in research•Demonstrate academic ability to research, critically reflect and write coherently•Prepare and present work in a symposium•Employ established methods of academic scholarship•To systematically analyse research and writing craft•Prepare a (8000 -1000 BA) (10000-12500 M Arch) word dissertation

Dissertation mechanics

Assemblage & Argument

Plagiarism

Supervision

Writing & jargon

Academic writing

References & Annotation

Dissertation style

Academic Structure of dissertation

What is a dissertation?

Research Techniques

Books, Libraries and on line sources

Dissertation mechanics

‘Research’ in architecture

Technology vs Humanities

getting informed vs research

state of the ‘art’, state of advanced thought

interpretation, examination, regurgitation, speculation,

procedural, analytical, organisational, propositional

Dissertation mechanics

What is a dissertation?

Academic Study of a subject

Researched

Dedicated Study arriving at a well argued conclusion

Critical consideration of a subject

Un-organised Study of a subject

Unsubstantiated argument

Study arriving at a weak conclusion

Raw Description of a subject

is Is not

Topics & Subjects

depth

focus

chronology

critical consideration of a subject

mileage

context

bloom

historical distance

Research Techniques

Primary

Secondary

Tertiary

Language

Canon

Editions

Paradigm

Knowledge

Literature Survey

Classic literature

Current literature

Journal Literature

Lay Literature

Web Literature

Observed data

Acquired data

Discipline specific/non specificDirection

Dissertation mechanics

Assemblage & Argument

Plagiarism

Originality vs Re-organisation?

Phd M Phil

MA M Arch BA

Topics & Subjects

A topic or subject that is unexplored or  undiscovered  that needs to be researched and reported

A topic or subject that is contentious and needs discussion or argument

A topic or subject that is confused and needs clarification

A topic or subject that is obscured but is vital to understanding and which needs revelation

A topic or subject that is disorganised and needs re-organisation

A topic or subject that is mis-understood and needs re-orientation

Topics or Subjects that are valuable in comparison and needs comparative study

Topics & Subjects

A topic or subject that is not “trivial pursuit”

A topic or subject that is not “an introduction to XXXXXXXX”

A topic or subject that is has no signifcant contribution to understanding.

A topic or subject that is not a portrait without a landscape, or a landscape without a portrait.

A topic or subject that is not invented out of context

A topic or subject that is not a useless and pointless comparison

A topic or subject that is not naive and simplistic

Research Question

Is it or is it not?Should or should not?Must or must not?

Moral dimension Ethical dimensionAmoral dimension

Research Question & its dimension of measure

Judicial Dimension

dimension of truth or certainty

Black and White or Shades of Grey

dimension of Understanding and Knowledge

naive and impoverished

Information Processing

Study Design

Context, field, sourcesParameters, criteria, limitations & exclusionsContainment: Geographical, Chronological, Lingual etc

Hypotheses Observations, insights, analysesCriticalitySignificance: Value, statisical etc

Projected Outcomes

Information Processing

Study Value

Statistical SampleIntellectual WeightGravity of RevelationImplication / Impact on current thinking

Historical Distance

Relevance