Course

Read about the Master Programme and find the Study Regulations at ruc.dk

You register for activities through stads selvbetjening during the announced registration period, which you can see on the Study administration homepage.

When registering for courses, please be aware of the potential conflicts and overlaps between course and exam time and dates. The planning of course activities at Roskilde University is based on the recommended study programmes, which should not overlap. However, if you choose optional courses and/or study plans that goes beyond the recommended study programmes, an overlap of lectures or exam dates may occur depending on which courses you choose.

Based on collaboration with one or more external companies or organisations chosen by the course lecturers, this course provides advanced knowledge of and competencies in applied ethnography and visualisation for urban planning research and practice. Students learn how to conduct consultancy work and fieldwork for companies or organisations in relation to understand existing uses of spaces and to inform planning. They also develop skills in effectively representing, visualising and communicating various kinds of fieldwork through maps, images, illustrations and writing.

Based on a collaboration with a client, this course provides knowledge and competencies in applied ethnography and spatial visualisation for urban planning/design practice. Students learn how to conduct consultancy work and applied ethnography to understand the existing use of places and to inform planning or conduct evaluations. They also develop skills in effectively representing, visualising and communicating various kinds of fieldwork and data through different visual and textual forms.

Readings for each session are provided on Moodle before the start of the course. The following texts are relevant to the course more broadly:

Selected key readings: Pink, S. (2007). Doing visual ethnography. London: Sage. Brennan-Horley, C., & Gibson, C. (2009). Where is creativity in the city? Integrating qualitative and GIS methods. Environment and Planning A, 41(11), 2595-2614. Boschmann, E. E., & Cubbon, E. (2014). Sketch maps and qualitative GIS: using cartographies of individual spatial narratives in geographic research. The Professional Geographer, 66(2), 236-248. Stroh, L. K., & Johnson, H. H. (2006). The basic principles of effective consulting. Psychology Press. Ladner, S. (2014). Practical Ethnography: A guide to doing ethnography in the private sector. Left Coast Press.

Study intensity Outline

• The proposed study intensity for a student in this activity: 135 hours

• The proposed distribution of hours on teaching and learning activities

Lectures: 30 Fieldwork: 18 Preparation of power-points and oral presentations: 30 Exam: 24 hours (over 72 hours) Reading: 33 hours Alll together: 135 hours.

Teaching and learning activities

The course is organised around writing, visual representations, oral/visual presentations and mapping in applied ethnography and consultancy work, focusing on urban practices and urban design/planning. The course consists of lectures and student exercises in photography, writing, and visualisation. Participants are also asked to present materials during the classes and make one or more presentations .

Sessions are on campus and at a specific site and institution or company.

Evaluation is via an anonymous online survey distributed to all participants. The course will also be discussed with participants in the final session and reviewed at the NUPS Education Committee with input from student representatives.

By the end of the course, students should be able to:

• Demonstrate comprehensive knowledge and understanding of course methods

• Assess and choose among appropriate methods for addressing specific planning issues and in relation to a consultancy brief

• Work effectively with ethnography and visualisation for both field analysis and communication

• Produce advanced visual presentations, graphics and communication

• Organise, carry out and visualise their field studies at a high level based on a brief from a company or organization.

For the take-home assignment, the students choose among questions given by the lecturers. The assignment must contain a minimum of five and a maximum of 15 self-produced visual representations produced in relation to the fieldwork assignment.

Assessment criteria:

• Demonstrate reflexive and advanced use of course methods in a specific applied ethnographic study.

• Proficiency in making and communicating visual representations and writing for applied ethnography.

• Proficiency in making and communicating visual representations and writing for urban designers and planners.

• Competence to organise and carry out a short-term field study based on a specific brief from a company or organisation. Competence to reflect academically on the quality of the fieldwork and the recommendations.

• Writing and visualisation competencies to effectively communicate (including visualisation) specific deliverables to a targeted audience.