DIS AD Internship course Fall 2014

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DIS Architecture and Design Fall 2014

www.DISabroad.org

Architecture & Design Internship course 3 Credits

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DIS Architecture and Design

www.DISabroad.org

Instructor: Eva Frederiksen ([email protected])

Course Assistant: Logan Woodruff ([email protected])

Location: Vestergade 7.33

Course Description

This course consists of a internship practicum at an architecture/design

firm in Copenhagen combined with a seminar forum which facilitates

on-going reflection on the experience. The student will work 10-15

hours-per-week during their weeks based in Copenhagen and meet five

times with an AD instructor and the other participating interns to reflect

on the work and compare the different firms and students’ experiences.

The students will create and maintain a reflective journal during the

internship which will end with a critical summary of the experience.

Co-requisites

Simultaneous enrollment in a non-foundations level studio core course

at DIS.

Pre-Approval

Due to limited availability and specific skill requirements, enrollment

in this course requires pre-approval from the AD office in Copenhagen.

Interested students need to provide a resume, transcript and portfolio

material 6 weeks prior to the first day of classes in Copenhagen. Portfolio

material should include images of physical models as well as drawings

and renderings with clear indications of programs /techniques utilized

to create them. The material will be reviewed by the AD office and

candidates selected for participation in the course will be notified no

later than five weeks before arrival.

Learning objectives

• To gain professional experience.

• To gain hands-on insight into the professional design culture in

Denmark.

• To reflect upon practice as compared to academic learning.

• To test skills and methods learned in an academic setting in a

professional environment.

• To prepare students for an effective transition to practice in the

future.

• To compare working cultures and practices of Denmark with that of

the USA.

Course Readings

Relevant supplementary reading material will be uploaded to DIS Forum

during the semester.

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Course Details

The core component of this course is an internship practicum at a

professional architecture/design firm. The work experience is framed by

an individual journal combined with a series of five meetings with the

entire group of interns facilitated by the AD instructor. The intention

is to create a forum for reflecting upon the work experience and will

include discussions on how the student’s academic experience informs

the professional work and, in turn, how the experience at the firm can

influence the student’s continued education. Particular emphasis will be

placed on comparing work, office and professional culture in Denmark to

experience and perceptions from the USA.

Students will meet with their respective firms during the first week of

the semester to agree upon the exact schedule of their work during the

semester. A copy of this schedule will be given to the AD instructor for

review and approval as soon as it has been agreed upon with the firm.

Students will connect with a responsible staff member in the firm, who

will function as the students mentor during the internship pracitucm.

Journal

Each student will be required to maintain a journal which documents and

analyzes the work experience. The journal will be concluded by a 4 page

reflection paper which summarizes the students’ initial thoughts on the

work experience.

The journal should contain written entries as well as images from the

office and of the project work involved. Photographic documentation

of processes (design processes, project processes, etc.) are of particular

interest and should be labeled both regarding the content as well as

the student’s comments about it. It is critical that the journal be both

documentation and reflection.

Journals will be reviewed twice during the semester by the AD instructor.

The first review will occur midway through the semester. The second

after the conclusion of the course.

Discussion Group

All students will meet five times in a discussion group facilitated by the

AD instructor. Each meeting will focus on particular topics relevant to

the work experience to be discussed and compared. These discussions

will be facilitated by questions issued by the AD instructor. The

discussions and respective questions will be organized around three

primary themes: Culture, Practice and Design.

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Expectations of the Students:

Students are expected to work for the firm at the times agreed

at the beginning of the semester and to conduct themselves in a

professional manner at all times. The students should see themselves

as representatives both of DIS and their home institution and to conduct

themselves accordingly. The journal should be actively maintained

throughout the semester. Students should be well-prepared for each

discussion group and participate actively.

Evaluation and Grading

Grading will be based on participation in the discussion sessions and the

journal, including the final reflection paper which acts as the summary at

the end of the journal.

Grades will be based on the following

Participation in Discussion Sessions 20%

Journal (excluding concluding paper) 50%

Concluding paper 30%

Disability and resource statement

Any student who has need for accommodation based on the impact of a

disability should contact Sean Green ([email protected]) to coordinate this. In

order to receive accommodations, students should inform the instructor

of approved DIS accommodations within the first two weeks of classes.

Policies

Attendance

You are expected to attend all DIS classes when scheduled. If you miss

two classes the Director of Teaching and Learning, and the Director

of Student Affairs will be notified and they will follow-up with you to

make sure that all is well. Absences will jeopardize your grade and your

standing at DIS. Allowances will be made in cases of illness, but you will

need to provide a doctor’s note.

Academic Honesty

DIS expects that students abide by the highest standards of intellectual

honesty in all academic work. DIS assumes that all students do their

own work and credit all work or thought taken from others. Academic

dishonesty will result in a final course grade of “F” and can result in

dismissal. The students’ home universities will be notified. DIS reserves

the right to request that written student assignments be turned in

electronic form for submission to plagiarism detection software. See the

Academic Handbook for more information, or ask your instructor if you

have questions.

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Day Date Session Time Topic


Tu Aug 26 01 17.15 - 18.00 INTRODUCTION Introduction and review of course objectives, structure and grading.

The instructor will introduce the design firms hosting interns for the

semester so everyone in the group is made aware of each others’

internship locations.

We, Aug 27th - Mo, Sept 1st INDIVIDUAL START-UP MEETINGS AT THE RESPECTIVE FIRMS Students contact their respective firms and meet with their mentors to

agree upon the work schedule for the semester as well as discuss aligning

the students’ goals and expectations with those of the firm.

Sept 08 - 12 Core Course Week

Tu Sept 16 02 17.15 - 18.00 CULTURE Students will present their initial impressions and thoughts regarding the

professional work based on the questions provided by the instructor as

well as the first pages of their journals. The primary theme of the

discussion will be the office cultures as experienced by the students.

Sep 27 - Oct 5 Travel Week

Tu Oct 14 03 17.15 - 18.00 PRACTICE The primary theme of the discussion will be design practice as opposed

to academic study and will examine observed characteristics of practice

in Denmark.

Fr Oct 17 12.00 JOURNAL HAND-IN Hand in journals for mid-semester review.

October 18 - 26 Travel Week

Fr Oct 31 04 17.15 - 18.00 DESIGN The primary theme of the discussion will be Danish design sensibilities.

How is the approach to design and the design itself different from what

you have experienced elsewhere, how is this manifest in the work of the

firm you have been working at, how do you think the work of the firm

has been most affected by being created in Denmark, etc.?

November 8 - 16 Travel Week

Tu Nov 25 05 17.15 - 18.00 CONCLUSION The discussion will concern overall conclusions about themes of practice

as related to academic study and practice in Denmark compared to other

locations.

Fr Nov 28 12.00 REFLECTION PAPER AND FINAL JOURNAL HAND-IN

Education

DIS AD Internship course Fall 2014