Overview

This unit explores the contextual nature of architecture. It integrates students’ understanding of global, cultural, and ethical contexts that shape contemporary architectural production with both theoretical and historiographical critiques. Topics are presented at an overview level, emphasising key ideas and core concepts from a range of knowledge domains and are then applied to contemporary architectural practice.

Teaching periods
Location
Start and end dates
Last self-enrolment date
Census date
Last withdraw without fail date
Results released date
Semester 2
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
04-August-2025
02-November-2025
Last self-enrolment date
17-August-2025
Census date
31-August-2025
Last withdraw without fail date
19-September-2025
Results released date
09-December-2025

Learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:

  • Articulate the various global, Indigenous, cultural, and ethical contexts that shape the contemporary built environment
  • Explain the different ways that knowledge is constructed across Indigenous, global and local knowledge, cultures and values
  • Analyse the social and ethical role of architectural practice in contemporary global and Indigenous cultures, perspectives and knowledge frameworks
  • Construct frameworks and approaches in order to create design solutions for client groups with different cultural and social needs
  • Relate cross-cultural contexts to historical processes

Teaching methods

Hawthorn

Activity Type Activity Total Hours Number of Weeks Hours Per Week Venue Type and Activity Detail
On-campus Studio 36 12 weeks 3  
Specified Activities Various 24 12 weeks 2 Pre-recorded weekly lecture, blog, site visits
Unspecified Activities Independent Learning 90 12 weeks 7.5 Readings, Group work, Field work, Independent research, Video content
Total Hours: 150 Total Hours (per week): 12.5  

Assessment

Type Task Weighting ULO's
BlogIndividual 30% 1,2,3,5 
Major Research ProjectIndividual 50% 4 
Site Visit ReportGroup 20% 1,2,3 

Content

  • Historical legacies
  • Global influences
  • Gendered, cultural, indigenous, and ethnic perspectives
  • Sustainability discourses
  • Virtual worlds
  • Ethics
  • Graduate Attribute – Communication Skills: Communicating using different media
  • Graduate Attribute – Teamwork Skills: Collaboration and negotiation
  • Graduate Attribute – Teamwork Skills: Teamwork roles and processes
  • Graduate Attribute – Digital Literacies: Information literacy
  • Graduate Attribute – Digital Literacies: Technical literacy

Study resources

Reading materials

A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.