COURSE INFORMATION Course Title: CULTURE AND SPACE STUDIES

Code	Course Type	Regular Semester	Theory	Practice	Lab	Credits	ECTS
ARCH 572	D	8	3	0	0	3	6

Language:	English
Compulsory/Elective:	Elective
Classroom and Meeting Time:
Course Description:	-
Course Objectives:	Built environment is the product of geographical, cultural and social conditions. Within the course the connection between the cultural identity and the built construction will be studied. The course starts from the series of lectures explaining the key points of 20 century philosophy regarding the understanding of space potential and space challenges. The practical part of the course is the analysis of the physical environment of the selected case studies in order to find the cultural cues in the organization and shape of the spaces and to understand how the recent transformation of the tradition and culture and influenced to the spaces, which are used for everyday life. For the evaluation of the case studies the quantitative methods of Space Syntax will be used.

COURSE OUTLINE

Week	Topics
1	Introduction to the course
2	Case studies selection
3	Discussion on “The social logic of space”
4	Discussion on “House Form and Culture”
5	Discussion on “Decoding Homes and Houses”
6	Introduction into the AGRAPH software
7	Analysis of the case studies using AGRAPH
8	Mid-term
9	Discussion on the results of analysis
10	Discussion on “Architectural space and awareness”
11	Discussion on “The split wall. Domestic voyeurism”
12	Discussion on “Excavation and reconstruction. An oral archaeology of the deLemos home”.
13	Review of the draft of paper
14	Final presentation and submission of the final paper

Prerequisite(s):	No
Textbook:	“Decoding Homes and Houses” Julienne Hanson “House Form and Culture” Amos Rapoport “The social logic of space” Bill Hillier and Julienne Hanson “Housing and Dwelling. Perspectives on Modern Domestic Architecture” Barbara Miller Lane
Other References:
Laboratory Work:
Computer Usage:	Yes
Others:	No

COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES

1	Demonstrate an understanding of theories and methods that clarify the interrelationships of tradition and culture and the built environment
2	Demonstrate the ability to recognize the cultural messages in housing solutions
3	Demonstrate an ability to use Space Syntax methods in order to evaluate the housing design
4	Demonstrate the ability to evaluate the importance of cultural background for the process of planning and designing the space
5	Understand the regional and cultural tendencies of the spatial development of the residential architecture in Albania

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
Term Paper	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