Course Syllabus

Semester & Location:	Summer - DIS Copenhagen
Type & Credits:	Corequisite course - 1 credit
Core Course Study Tours:	Sweden/Finland or Norway/Sweden
Major Disciplines:	Design
Faculty Members:	Various faculty
Program Director:	Henning Thomsen, ht@dis.dk
Time & Place:	See Canvas calendar for specifics

Course description:

‘What you hear you forget. What you see you remember. What you draw you understand.’

Visual Journal teaches the design student how to see beyond the photographic image. Using a visual journal on a daily basis will develop the individual’s ability to draw, think critically and analyse in three dimensions and across different scales.

The student will learn through on-site analysis, drawing exercises, and daily drawing practice how to understand the physical environments that surround us.

The visual design journal is a process focussed, experimentally driven design tool which supplements and aids student learning in conjunction with other courses, study tours and all other lines of inquiry, both inside and outside the school.

Learning objectives:

Skills

By the end of this course, the student will have furthered their ability to conduct self-initiated analysis of the physical environment through the use of a visual journal. The student will have the ability to develop an individual visual journal as praxis and tool for evaluating and reflecting upon the student’s own design processes.

Knowledge

The student will obtain a deeper knowledge of the various techniques essential to record and visually communicate design problems and solutions. Through on site analysis exercises, the student will gain insight into cultural identity in Copenhagen and beyond.

Attitudes

The student will become aware of how to see and think critically about the built environment and cultural identity surrounding them. They will develop their personal attitude to design issues concerning architecture, environment and culture.

Suggested texts:

Crowe, Norman and Paul Laseau. Visual Notes for Architects and Designers

Cullen, Gordon. The Concise Townscape

Edwards, Betty. Drawing on the Right side of the Brain

Nicolaides, Kimon. The Natural Way to Draw

Required Materials and Equipment:

Students are encouraged to use a wide range of drawing materials whether it be unique drawing tools or paper types.

Charcoal, graphite, ink, sepia tones, paints and collage are the principle media to be explored on this course. Students should identify for themselves the most relevant and appropriate media to explore the given assignment. Students are welcome to ask the instructor or fellow students for advice and feedback in the critique sessions.

Approach to teaching:

Visual Journal is taught via two one-day seminars and field studies to various sites, buildings and public spaces in and around Copenhagen.

Expectations of the students:

Students are encouraged to be experimental and extend their representational abilities in free hand drawing, at the same time deepening their understandings of the design issues and problems.

Evaluation & Grading

As a minimum, each visual journal should include;

• Entries from the field studies and assignments (clearly identified and labelled).
• Entries from other design projects, study tours, and field trips
• Entries from independent, self motivated visual note taking.

Journals will be formally reviewed at the end of the summer session.

Assignment	Percent
Visual Journal Notebook	100%

Evaluation based on:

• Completeness: Student has documented observations from the entire summer session including field studies, studio project development, independent observations, and the long study tour.
• Analysis: Student has employed a variety of analytical drawing techniques that display a multi-scalar and nuanced understanding of the object of study and its form, function, materiality, and context.
• Technique: Student has displayed both an attention to detail and a sense of curiousity while exploring new visual notetaking techniques. These may include: orthographic projections, various diagrams, collages, light and materiality studies, mixed media, etc.

All work in the visual journals needs to be identified clearly for assessment purposes. Any work not identified will not be graded and as a result will bring down your final grade.

To be eligible for the pass grade in this class, you must complete all of the assigned work.

Disability and Resource Statement  

Any student who has a need for accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact the Office of Academic Support (acadsupp@dis.dk) to coordinate this.  In order to receive accommodations, students should inform the instructor of approved DIS accommodations within the first two weeks of classes.

Policies

Attendance

You are expected to attend all classes, guest lectures, workshops and field studies. If you must miss a class for religious holidays, medical reasons, or other valid reasons, you must let us know as far in advance as possible of the absence and obtain information about the work you must do to keep up in class. If you miss a class for any other reason (sudden illness, family emergency, etc.), you should get in touch with us as soon as possible and arrange to make up the work missed.

It is crucial for your learning that you stay on task and hand in assignments on or before the due date. All work– including in-class projects – have to be completed in order to pass the class. 

Academic Honesty

Plagiarism and Violating the Rules of an Assignment

DIS expects that students abide by the highest standards of intellectual honesty in all academic work. DIS assumes that all students do their own work and credit all work or thought taken from others.   Academic dishonesty will result in a final course grade of “F” and can result in dismissal. The students’ home universities will be notified. DIS reserves the right to request that written student assignments be turned in electronic form for submission to plagiarism detection software.  See the Academic Handbook for more information, or ask your instructor if you have questions.