Upcoming research tutorials in the SoAD library

Take advantage of these tutorials to sharpen your research skills and to help you produce a successful research paper. All sessions listed below will be held in the SoAD library. 

Upcoming tutorials: 

Finding journal articles

3pm Tuesday and Wednesday [1st and 2nd June]

11am Thursday [3rd June]

Tutorials next week:

Referencing 11am Tuesday and Wednesday [8th and 9the June]

3pm Wednesday and Thursday [9th and 10th June]

Tips for writing a research paper

For more writing guides explore the materials under the Briefs + Tools page of this blog or the SoAD 'R-Drive' folder for CCDN271.

Digital recordings of lectures--USE FIREFOX

If you are having trouble playing the digitally recorded 271 lectures (linked from the blog) try using firefox. There seems to be difficulties with playing the lectures through internet explorer on the SoAD computers.

No Tutorials on Friday, 28 May

There will be no tutorials on Friday this week. However, it is highly suggested that if you would like one-on-one guidance for your research paper or personalised feedback on your abstract (assignment 1) please use this time to make an appointment with your tutor or the course coordinator.

Test 2: this week, Wed. 26 May LT1 + LT2

Don't forget! Test 2 on Wed. this week, starting at 11:30am in LT1 + LT2. Bring your notes and study aids. Good luck!!

Review notes for Test 2

Work through this presentation and prepare answers (and questions) for tomorrow's review in the tutorial streams.

The Test 2 review notes can also be found on the "briefs + tools" page.

Steven Johnson: The Web and the city

Watch this short Tedtalks for a closer and contextualised look at the role of emergence in complex social systems.

Slime mould!!

For more on this week's theme of Emergence, click here. 

Assignment 2: brief

The project brief for Assignment 2 is available here.

Week 11: Morphogenesis

This week we enter a new scale: the collective and the swarm. In keeping with this theme we will explore bottom-up design processes and the concept of 'morphogenesis'. This week's reading (above) is a primary text, in other words a historic text, from 1966 that introduces many of the core elements of design discourse in this area today. Please read it carefully and keep in mind its historical context. In addition to the reading above, please watch the Manuel DeLanda lecture (below) on the use of the Genetic Algorithm in Architecture. This lecture nicely articulates many aspects of this week's theme and pulls a number of the issues covered in the assigned reading into twenty-first century design discourse.

Walter Benjamin and the "loss" of aura

If you have not yet read Walter Benjamin's seminal essay (1935) "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction," please take some time to work through this exceptional text. It is lengthy so perhaps focus on the first half to begin with (essay below). Also, this summary of the article may prove helpful as well, follow link here.

E-baroque and Steampunk

For more background on this week's topic, visit The Steampunk Workshop and the wikipedia entry for Steampunk; also of interest, explore the 'history' of the Telelectroscope

Week 10: reading Lupton's "The Modern Curve"

Hand-in Friday: Assignment One

For the hand-in of Assignment One on Friday, be sure to include at the top of your assigment YOUR NAME and YOUR TUTOR'S NAME. Follow the APA citation style for your bibliography, as illustrated on the blog under 'Briefs +Tools'. Finally, don't forget to print up a hard copy of your assignment and hand it in at the beginning of your regular tutorial session. The R-drive will not be used to hand-in this assignment -- you must give a hard copy to your tutor.

Quick tip sheet for database research

Week 9: Critical Visualisation

This week's reading: down load here from issuu

NO TUTORIALS THIS FRIDAY--all sections cancelled

This Friday's tutorials have been cancelled, all sections, all times, to give you a bit of rest after all the hard work you've done preparing for the test tomorrow AND to give you some extra time to work on Assignment One. Please do take advantage of this 'break' and make sure you put your best effort forward with your first written assignment.

TEST ONE - WEDNESDAY 21 APRIL - 11:30am - LT1 + LT2

Don't forget we have our first test on Wednesday 21 April beginning at our regularly scheduled lecture time, 11:30am. Both LT1 and LT2 will be used for the test, so please go to LT2 if LT1 is filling up. Remember you can bring your notes and readings, but please, no talking during the test. The test will take approximately one hour.

New links to all recorded lectures!

These should work with Firefox + Sliverlight installed: 

Week One: design as inquiry

Week Two: the everyday

Week Three: the placebo project

Week Four: design ethics 

Week Five: massive change

Guidelines for watching recorded lectures

1. The recorded lectures will NOT play on the Macs in the 4th FL Wigan Media Lab -- you must find another location to watch the lectures.
2. Use a PC whenever possible, such as those in the School's other computer labs, and Internet Explorer for watching the lectures.
3. If you are not at school, try downloading Microsoft Silverlight on your PC and then retry the lectures (download here).
4. If the issues persist, try another computer if possible.
5. Be sure to use your MyVictoria login and password to access the lectures.
6. You are always free to try to get usefully advice from ITS - Service Desk Phone: 463 5050 (8:00 am - 5:30pm, Monday to Friday) or use the Student ITS Help Form