Undergraduate Course: Architectural History Independent Project (ARHI10025)

Course Outline
School	Edinburgh College of Art	College	College of Humanities and Social Science
Credit level (Normal year taken)	SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate)	Availability	Not available to visiting students
SCQF Credits	40	ECTS Credits	20
Summary	While studying abroad during their third year students work on an architectural history independent project. The project is assessed on the basis of a report of no more than 8,000 words. Students are expected, while abroad, to follow architectural history courses, if available, and to take advantage of galleries, museums and monuments accessible to them. The topic, which need not relate to the country in which the student is studying, will be agreed between the student and the supervisor, who will suggest introductory bibliography and will help the student to define the project. The student and the supervisor then agree a subject for an essay on an aspect of the project. The essay (of no more than 3,000 words) will be sent to the ACE undergraduate office by a set date early in Semester 2. The supervisor will also comment on a short outline of the independent project report to be sent in by the same date. By a set date towards the end of Semester 2, the student will send a fuller outline of the report (indicating a line of argument and the division into chapters) and a bibliography to the ACE undergraduate office. The supervisor will return these with comments. The student will then write a full draft of the report to be handed in to the Ace undergraduate office on the first day of Semester 1 of the student's fourth year. The supervisor will then read and discuss the draft with the student. Two copies of the completed independent project report (of between 6,000 and 8,000 words) must handed in to the ACE undergraduate office no later than the end of week 4 of Semester 1 of the student's fourth year.
Course description	Not entered

Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites		Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations		Other requirements	None

Course Delivery Information
Not being delivered

Learning Outcomes
The principal aim of the Architectural History independent project is to provide a structure for students taking most honours degrees combining a language with architectural history to continue their architectural history during their third year abroad. The project also allows students to work independently but with guidance on a topic of their own choice. Students are encouraged to take the greatest possible advantage of the opportunities provided by their time abroad for extending and developing their knowledge and understanding of architectural history. They are encouraged to get to know the architectural culture of the country in which they are working by major buildings, exhibitions, libraries, etc. Attending architectural history courses in the language of the host country can help the student to make connections between the two sides of their degree. The project requires the student to study independently and to pace his or her research and writing up appropriately. Working on the Architectural History project report provides students with experience in finding and using bibliographical and visual sources and in their critical use . It also gives the student experience in preparing a longer piece of writing with a sustained argument and in accordance with a set of guidelines. An obvious difficulty for students doing a project abroad during their third year is that face-to-face supervision is not possible while they away from Edinburgh. It is therefore essential that the student keeps in contact by email and post with the supervisor. To compensate for this difficulty the supervisor reads and discusses a full draft of the report with the student on the student's return to Edinburgh at the start of the fourth year. To allow the student the opportunity for final revisions the hand-in date is set at the end of week 4