COURSE INFORMATION Course Title: SPECIAL TOPICS IN ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN

Code	Course Type	Regular Semester	Theory	Practice	Lab	Credits	ECTS
ARCH 505	B	99	3	1	0	4	6

Academic staff member responsible for the design of the course syllabus (name, surname, academic title/scientific degree, email address and signature)	NA
Lecturer (name, surname, academic title/scientific degree, email address and signature) and Office Hours:	Anna Yunitsyna
Second Lecturer(s) (name, surname, academic title/scientific degree, email address and signature) and Office Hours:	NA
Teaching Assistant(s) and Office Hours:	NA
Language:	English
Compulsory/Elective:	Compulsory
Classroom and Meeting Time:
Course Description:	-
Course Objectives:	1) To help students develop understanding of the factors that shape architectural design. 2) To provide students with a sound knowledge about international and national design policies, standards and typologies. 3) To introduce students to critical analytical thinking and help them master their critical evaluative skills. 4) To help students develop an understanding of academic writing and improve their interpersonal communication skills (verbal, written etc.)

COURSE OUTLINE

Week	Topics
1	Course Introduction + An overview: historical aspects of design
2	The city in history: socio-economic change and human settlements
3	Cultural aspects of design
4	Technology and design
5	Politics and design / Regime change and transitions: impact on design
6	Housing and its relation to other activities in the city
7	Midterm assessment
8	Urban centrality and building types
9	The global economy, urbanization and design problems (restructuring of social composition)
10	The Albanian context: Political change & its implications: design typology, trends & tendencies
11	Comparative analysis with different post-communist examples.
12	Design policy (International + Albanian context): Institutional perspective / Physical perspective
13	Space standards: An International / European perspective + Albania
14	Final Presentation of individual coursework

Prerequisite(s):
Textbook:	Clapham, D. (2005) The Meaning of Housing: A Pathways Approach, Policy Press, Bristol Franklin, B.(2006) Housing Transformations: Shaping the space of twenty-first century living, Rutledge, London Gallent, N. et al. (2010) Internal housing space standards in Italy and England, Progress in Planning, 74(1), 1-52 Muire et al. (2005) Privatisation and after in R. Van Kempen et al. (eds.) Restructuring large housing estates in Europe, 85-104, Policy Press, Bristol Tipple; A. G. (1999) Transforming Government-Built Housing: Lessons from Developing Countries, Journal of Urban Technology, 6(3), 17-35
Other References:	Bouzarovski, S. et al. (2011) A Socially Resilient Urban Transition? The Contested Landscapes of Apartment Building Extensions in Two Post-communist Cities, Urban Studies, 48(13), 2689-2714 Deda, L. and Tsenkova, S. (2006) Poverty and inequality in Greater Tirana: The reality of peri-urban areas in S. Tsenkova and Z. Nedovic-Budic (eds.) The Urban Mosaic of Post-Socialist Europe, Physica-Verlag, Heidelberg Nase and Ocakci (2010) Urban pattern dichotomy in Tirana: Socio-spatial impact of liberalism, European Planning Studies, 18(11), 1837-1861
Laboratory Work:
Computer Usage:	Yes
Others:	No

COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES

1	Understanding of the main factors that shape human settlements and design trends.
2	Develop understanding of analytical thinking and problem solving with a focus on critical essay writing.
3	Master field study research techniques in architecture, planning and design.

COURSE CONTRIBUTION TO... PROGRAM COMPETENCIES (Blank : no contribution, 1: least contribution ... 5: highest contribution)

No	Program Competencies	Cont.
Integrated second cycle study program in Architecture (5 years) Program

COURSE EVALUATION METHOD

Method	Quantity	Percentage
Midterm Exam(s)	1	25
Presentation	2	10
Case Study	1	5
Final Exam	1	40
Attendance		10
	Total Percent:	100%

ECTS (ALLOCATED BASED ON STUDENT WORKLOAD)

Activities	Quantity	Duration(Hours)	Total Workload(Hours)
Course Duration (Including the exam week: 16x Total course hours)	16	3	48
Hours for off-the-classroom study (Pre-study, practice)	16	6	96
Mid-terms	1	3	3
Assignments			0
Final examination	1	3	3
Other			0
Total Work Load:			150
Total Work Load/25(h):			6
ECTS Credit of the Course:			6