Introduction to research

Teacher(s)

Pouillon Henry; Salembier Chloé; Wilbaux Quentin;

Language

French

Main themes

This teaching unit introduces students to the issues involved in academic research, its methodology or methodologies and to the creation of a research project linked to an architectural project which leads to the formulation of a personal topic:

• to provide students with an introduction on how to put together a research project
• to learn how to define an issue, a research subject, the state of knowledge in the field, a methodology or an objective in terms of the result.

Aims

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
1	Specific learning outcomes: By the end of this course, students will be able to: write a piece of academic work, with the particular ability to use appropriate databases in architecture and follow the rules for quoting bibliographic references (presentation of academic texts, concepts of copyright and plagiarism, choice of vocabulary, academic style). explore the basic principles and/or contemporary issues in architecture by analysing texts written by architects, historians or  theoreticians, critics and experts. be familiar with the different approaches or research methods with a strategic aim (stages, planning, drafting plan, the different parts of a dissertation). maintain a thoughtful and critical approach to formalise their working hypotheses. ensure that the topic of the dissertation is particularly on and about 'architecture, by formulating an argument which shows awareness of the terminology and can lead to an architectural project at the end of the Master's course. Contribution to the learning outcomes reference network: Design a project Adopt approaches which are methodical, creative, metaphorical, perceptive, collaborative etc. Build knowledge of architecture Be able to use given references which, by analogy, can lead to other interpretations of the context Make use of other subjects Seek out other approaches, exchanges of views and ways of enhancing thinking about architecture Express an architectural procedure Identify the founding elements of a hypothesis or a proposal to express and communicate them Express ideas clearly in oral, graphic and written form Adopt a professional attitude Organise, plan, develop and bring together the different strands of individual or collective work

The contribution of this Teaching Unit to the development and command of the skills and learning outcomes of the programme(s) can be accessed at the end of this sheet, in the section entitled “Programmes/courses offering this Teaching Unit”.

Content

This EU introduces the student to the challenges of university research - and its methodology(s) - and to the creation of a research project articulated to the architecture project leading to the formulation of a personal question: 
- initiate the student to the constitution of a research project
- learn to define a theme, a problem, an object of study, a state of the art in the field, a coherent methodology, an objective in terms of results. 
The teaching unit alternates theory and practice of research through a series of thematic sessions.
Session 1
Presentation of the work "IN & ON" architecture: objectives of the TFE, timetable, course content and evaluation methods. 
Brainstorming on research themes and group training according to research fields
Session 2
Formulation of a research problem: how to move from a theme to a research question? 
Session 3
Definition of a study object: how to link the research problem to a field of study? 
Session 4 - 5 - 6
Elaboration of a state of the art: how to integrate personal research into a scientific process? 
=> Practical research tools: creation of a bibliography, citation of peers, endnote and reading sheets. 
Session 7
Articulation of iconographic and argumentative logics: how does produced and mobilized iconography create knowledge? 
Session 8
Elaboration of a written summary of the progress of the research (1 page)
Reflection on the spatial scales of the research project
Session 9
Collective and individual discussion on the progress of the research project
Session 10-11-12
Oral presentation in thematic groups: issues, methodology, subject of studies, bibliography, table of contents
Discussion on the realization of the project in research and architecture project 

Teaching methods

Courses and exercises, lectures and workshops

Evaluation methods

The evaluation of the course is based on two distinct learning outcomes: 
- Oral presentation of the progress of the research (10% of the score)
- Written work on the progress of the research - 10 pages (90% of the score)

Bibliography

Eco Umberto, Comment écrire sa thèse (traduit de l'italien par Laurent Cantagrel), Flammarion, Paris, 2016 (édition originale : come si fa una tesi di laurea?, RCS Libri, S.p.A, Milan, 1977-2015)
Collectif, Recherche architecturale urbaine et paysagère. Vers un doctorat en architecture, Paris, ministère de la Culture et de la Communication, 2005.
Collectif, Chercher sa recherche, les pratiques et perspectives de la recherche en école supérieure d'art, Nancy, Presses universitaires de Nancy, 2012.
Collectif, L'artiste, un chercheur pas comme les autres, Hermès, La Revue 2/2015 (n° 72).
Dautrey, J., La Recherche en art(s), Paris, éditions MF, 2010.

Faculty or entity

LOCI