PGUD_5310_B_Morrish_Sp16 Design and Urban Ecologies Thesis The New School Parsons School of Design Strategies, Design and Urban Ecologies 12:10-5:50 pm. 63 5th Avenue, room 515

William R. Morrish, Professor Urban Ecologies morrishw@newschool.edu 917-620-4525 Office hours by appointment, please email for a time and date Course Format Students work independently on an original thesis with the guidance of a thesis advisor and under the supervision of the thesis committee. They are encouraged to work collaboratively and hold group discussions as they continue their research and make use of literature searches, archival study, and fieldwork to develop a compelling written and visual narrative. A thesis can take the form of any design, social or art practice, but must be situated within the trans-disciplinary discursive space established during the first three semesters. With committee approval, students may submit thesis projects in alternative forms, such as documentary video or multimedia. The completed thesis must demonstrate original analysis and thinking on theoretical, historical, social, ecological, or other dimensions of contemporary urban practices. Students learn how to develop their thesis for publication, whether in scholarly peer-reviewed journals, news magazines, position papers put out by think tanks or nonprofit organizations, or reputable websites that reach a large and varied audience. Course Focus: Moving From Urban Situation Research into Praxis-“Exercising Theory in Practice”

“The polis, properly speaking, is not the city-state in its physical location; it is the organization of the people as it arises out of acting and speaking together, and its true space lies between people living together for this purpose, no matter where they happen to be."

-Hannah Arendt, The Human Condition

A graduate thesis for students in the Design and Urban Ecologies program is a two semester studio based design process of cycling through primary research, encountering complex urban societal congestion and experiencing the social spaces of confrontation, seeking ways in which to understand how the field of design and urban ecologies might play a constructive role as an intermediary turning Arendt’s words about the uniting power of “living together” spaces into reality.

Last semester this group began this task from a diverse set of different urban questions. Through extensive interpersonal analysis, fieldwork and deep research and engagement with urban actors, they have worked both to situate themselves and their experiences in the issues

embedded in the context of their urban questions and to identify the proper set of questions and how they operate. Collectively they discovered divergent forces and common threads between each of their investigations as to language, human experiences, spatial structure and knowledge. Second they grounded themselves in a problem through exploration of an existing social crisis, assessment of urban projects or an historic urban situation to investigate the ways in which people collectively “designed” their decision to proceed forward with a particular direction, and explored ways in which solutions were valued and changed over time. Through shared conversations about their research in class and with partners, each student has produced a deep description of an urban question. It sets the design terms by which they will name and frame the entry way questions to be addressed with their community partners, revealing how their ideas for making the strong and weak ties of Arendt’s “together spaces of the polis” might be valued and made by the community into the spaces and, social, natural and political ecologies of a supportive urban society. In sum, this semester we will work to turn this deep description into an urban “praxis” project located within in a particular community, corporation, or allied profession, that will demonstrate how people together can make the their city, empowered by design and urban ecologies thinking, doing and making.

Course Requirements/Graded Activities

The final thesis must be presented publicly in a final public forum, as well as submitted electronically and in bound printed form. The work must be original and not previously published or presented, and not to exceed 40,000 words in length.

Each assignment will be assessed in terms of the following five criteria:

1. Demonstrate the ability to synthesize completed literature searches, archival study, and fieldwork into a compelling written and illustrated narrative. 2. Demonstrate original analysis and thinking on emerging urban ecologies and allied design practices, which include theoretical, historical, social and ecological dimensions, and to argue for alternative approaches. 3. Demonstrate the possession of vocabulary —verbal, textual, and visual—to document the knowledge produced through the process of design-led research and communicate that knowledge to diverse audiences. 4. Demonstrate an ability to work effectively in collaborative situations with diverse stakeholders. 5. Demonstrate the ability to act autonomously in planning and implementing tasks at a professional or equivalent level.

Final Grade Calculation

Thesis development process and interim presentations 50%

Final presentation 30%

Final Products 20%

TOTAL 100%

Course Schedule The following course schedule serves the dual purpose of setting the dates for courses presentations and required deliverables, as well as a calendar upon which each student can chart out their work-plan dates, tasks and deliverables.

Praxis and Thesis Studio Work

Assignments, Reviews and Products

WEEK 1

1/25/16

Summary memorandum of Winter break research and outline thesis statement and work plan

Identify and contact potential secondary advisors and thesis project community partners

WEEK 2 2/1/16

Group briefing Individual work sessions

WEEK 3 2/8/16

Group briefing Individual work sessions

Secondary advisors selected and notified to attend mid-term review on 3/14/16 and final; review on 5/13/16

WEEK 4 2/15/16 No Class President’s Day

WEEK 5 2/22/16

In class review of individual 3000 word drafts of thesis

3000 word draft, drafts diagrams, maps and other supporting visual materials of thesis due in class, send digital copy by end of class to primary and secondary advisors for comments

WEEK 6 2/29/16 Group briefing Individual work sessions reviewing comments

WEEK 7 3/7/16

In class review of mid-term presentation of your praxis development to date

Primary, secondary advisors, and possible partners should be in attendance on 3/14/16

WEEK 8 3/14/16

Mid-term Project Review Presentations will run on the half hour from 12:30-5:30 pm in Room 515

Presentation structure: 15-minute individual presentations, followed by 15- minute review advisors, faculty and guests

3/21-25/16

SPRING BREAK Individual research and production

WEEK 9 3/28/16 Group briefing Individual work sessions

WEEK 10 4/4/16

Group briefing Individual work sessions

6000 word draft, drafts diagrams, maps and other supporting visual

materials of thesis due in class, send digital copy by end of class to primary and secondary advisors for comments

WEEK 11 4/11/16

Group briefing Individual work sessions reviewing comments

WEEK 12 4/18/16

Group briefing Individual work sessions

Sketch diagram final thesis presentation and document.

WEEK 13 4/25/16

Individual work sessions on presentation pamphlet text and image

WEEK 14 5/2/16

Group briefing Individual work sessions

Presentation Pamphlet: 750 word text and images due to publication designer and printer

Friday 5/6/16

Individual work sessions on final power point presentations ( 60 minute sessions in room 1107, 2 West 13th Street, starting at 9 am.)

WEEK 15

Monday 5/9/16

Final printed thesis and PPT due in class by 3pm.

Friday 5/13/15

Final Presentation DUE 4 Section B: Morrish

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