University of Southern California s21

Arch 791: Proposal for Doctoral Dissertation (1 unit) CR/NC

University of Southern California USC School of Architecture Douglas Noble, FAIA, Ph.D.

Course Syllabus

Establishing the scope of the doctoral dissertation is fundamental to the success of the research. This course will cover the processes of dissertation research and writing, including research methods, project scoping, identifying productive fields, faculty expertise and research publication.

Dissertation Processes

At the beginning of the dissertation, there can be considerable confusion about what the procedures are for working on and completing a dissertation. Unlike the masters thesis, the doctoral research requires that new knowledge be added to the field. The dissertation can appear daunting. One area of the dissertation that is often a mystery to the student is the administrative processes. Part of this course will include dissertation management and processes.

Research Methods

Students with substantial architectural education will likely have large skill sets in synthetic reasoning and design. Not all undergraduate programs include significant education regarding scientific methods and analytical research. While architecture is known as a field with strong design research education, it is also known for its weaknesses in traditional research and the hard sciences. Undertaking doctoral research requires an understanding of the full range of research methods in environmental design. This course will cover research methods such as data collection, human subjects testing, and data analysis.

School/Faculty Expertise

Dissertation research will require a team of knowledgeable faculty members, and a supportive school environment. Projects should be selected based on the strengths of the School and the potential dissertation committee members. Part of this course will be dedicated to presenting the range of dissertation research fields available in the School. Faculty will be invited to present their research experiences and interests.

Dissertation Project Scoping

Establishing, defining, refining and scoping the dissertation is one of the most important activities that occurs in the Ph.D. program. Thoughtful identification of the research and the committee can create an exceptional learning experience for all of the participants. Establishing the scope of the research and intended outcomes will help keep the preparation and research on track. Research Publication

An important part of research in any field is the dissemination of findings and conclusions. Doctoral students will directly participate in the research publication processes many times. Research publication in architecture has some important differences from other fields, but there are fundamental processes that are common throughout doctoral education.

Course grading: CR/NC

Participation: 10% Paper Summaries: 10% Preliminary Topic Proposal: 10% Preliminary Schedule: 10% Committee Assignment: 10% Final Dissertation Proposal: 50%

SAMPLE COURSE SCHEDULE

Week Lecture Topic l. Scientific Methods 2. Dissertation Process, Sample Dissertations 3. Literature search tools 4. The dissertation proposal 5. Discussion of paper summaries READING: Sample research papers of guest faculty presenting next week 6. Guest faculty: Current research in Architectural Structures Guest faculty: Current research in Materials and Methods READING: Sample research papers of guest faculty presenting next week 7. Guest faculty: Current research in Architectural Structures Guest faculty: Current research in Design Reasoning and Methods READING: Sample research papers of guest faculty presenting next week 8. Guest faculty: Current research in Architectural Acoustics 9. Dissertation research methods READING: Sample research papers of guest faculty presenting next week 10. Guest faculty: Current research in Architectural Computing READING: Sample research papers of guest faculty presenting next week 11. Guest faculty: Current research in Space Architecture 12. Guest faculty: Current research in Architectural Sustainability Prepare a preliminary dissertation topic proposal 13. Class discussion of proposed topics Refine dissertation topic proposal 14. Discussion of dissertation proposals 15. Sources and scheduling Prepare a dissertation schedule by next class. 16. Discussion of sources, schedule, and committee DUE: dissertation schedule, signed committee form 17. Finals Week: Complete Dissertation Proposal

Bibliography

The primary bibliography for this course will include the research papers of the faculty making presentations. These papers will be collected into a course reader at the beginning of the semester. Each presenting faculty member will provide at least one example of their own published research, and one additional example of a research paper in their focus area written by someone else. The purpose of the reader is to provide specific examples of the research conducted in our program. Faculty may also provide written documents that describe the full range of that faculty member's research interests.

Additional Bibliography:

Adams, James L., Conceptual Blockbusting: A Guide to Better Ideas, New York: Norton, 1979 (2nd Edition). Archer, Bruce, "Systematic Method for Designers," A series of articles ~ in Design, April 1963 - August 1964, reprinted in Design, 1965. Broadbent, Geoffrey, Design Methods in Architecture Symposium, London: L. Humphries, 1969. Cross, Nigel, Developments in Design Methodology, New York: John Wiley Gregory, S.A. , ed. The Design Method, New York: Plenum Press, 1966. Jones, J. Christopher, Design Methods: Seeds of Human Futures, London: John Wiley and Sons, 1970. Jones, J. Christopher and D.G. Thornly, eds., Conference on Design Methods, Oxford: Pergammon Press, 1963. Popper, Karl, The Logic of Scientific Discovery, New York: Science Editions, 1961. Simon, Herbert A., Models of Man, New York: John Wiley and Sons, 1957. Thompson, D'Arcy, "On Magnitude," in On Growth and Form, Vol. 1, pp. 22 - 78. Wickelgren, Wayne A., How to Solve Problems: Elements of a Theory of Problems and Problem Solving, San Francisco: Freeman Press, 1984. Rehabilitation Act (Section 504) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) The University of Southern California is committed to full compliance with the Rehabilitation Act (Section 504) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). As part of the implementation of this law, the University will continue to provide reasonable accommodation of academically qualified students with disabilities so those student can participate fully in the University’s educational programs and activities. Although USC is not required by law to change the “fundamental nature of essential curricular components of its programs in order to accommodate the needs of disabled students,” the University will provide reasonable academic accommodations. The specific responsibility of the University administration and all faculty serving in a teaching capacity is to ensure the University’s compliance with this policy.

The general definition of a student with a disability is any person who has “a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more of such person’s major life activities,” and any person who has “a history of, or is regarded as having, such an impairment.” Reasonable academic and physical accommodations include but are not limited to: extended time on examinations; substitution of similar or related work for a non- fundamental program requirement; time extensions on papers and projects; special testing procedures; advance notice regarding book list for visually impaired and some learning disabled students; use of academic aides in the classroom such as note takers and sign language interpreters; early advisement and assistance with registration; accessibility for students who use wheelchairs and those with mobility impairments; and need for special classroom furniture or special equipment in the classroom.

Obtaining Accommodations

Physical Accommodations Students with physical disabilities should contact Disability Services and Programs (DSP) prior to or during the first week of class attendance or as early in the semester as possible. The office will work with classroom scheduling, the course instructors and their departments, and the students to arrange for reasonable accommodations.

Academic Accommodations Students seeking academic accommodations due to a physical or learning disability should make the request to the course instructor prior to or during the first week of class attendance, as well as registering with DSP as early in the semester as possible. Course instructors should require that a student present verification of documentation when academic accommodations are being requested.

For assistance in how to provide reasonable accommodations for a particular disability, course instructors are encouraged to consult with Disability Services and Programs (DSP). Students requesting academic accommodations who do not have DSP documentation should be referred to that office.

Disability Services & Programs contact: (213) 740-0776.

Statement on Academic Integrity USC seeks to maintain an optimal learning environment. General principles of academic honesty include the concept of respect for the intellectual property of others, the expectation that individual work will be submitted unless otherwise allowed by an instructor, and the obligations both to protect one’s own academic work from misuse by others as well as to avoid using another’s work as one’s own. All students are expected to understand and abide by these principles. Scampus, the Student Guidebook, contains the Student Conduct Code in Section 11.00, while the recommended sanctions are located in Appendix A: http://www.usc.edu/dept/publications/SCAMPUS/gov/ Students will be referred to the Office of Student Judicial Affairs and Community Standards for further review, should there be any suspicion of academic dishonesty. The Review process can be found at: http://www.usc.edu/student-affairs/SJACS/