ARCHICULTURE - architectural educator. New postgraduate studies are launched

Dobrawa Bies

27 of May '21

Recruitment for postgraduate studies has begun

Super news! Recruitment for the inter-institutional postgraduate course "ARCHIKULTURA - architectural educator" has just started. This is the first initiative of its kind in Poland and even in Europe. It is initiated by the National Institute of Architecture and Urban Planning together with the Pedagogical University in Cracow, the Faculty of Architecture of the Cracow University of Technology and the Faculty of Architecture of the Gdansk University of Technology. The goal? To educate a cadre of architectural educ ators substantively prepared, among other things, to popularize knowledge about the built environment and improve the quality of the culture of building and the space around us.

The need for widespread education in education about the built environment should become an indispensable element in the formation of an informed, civil society. This is an issue of particular importance in Poland, a country that has been rebuilding and re-constructing its own culture of shaping space for the past 30 years, since the political transformation, a process that is not easy and even unfeasible without simultaneous public education. Universal education in building culture is an essential element in this endeavor. Implemented within the educational system, as well as outside the educational system - in museums, cultural centers and institutions, etc., it is the only way to raise social awareness, but also a sense of civic responsibility for common space and the environment," reads the NIAiU website.

architectural educator

Competent educators should be key elements in this process. Hence, NIAiU, the main initiator of the project together with the Pedagogical University named after the National Education Commission in Cracow and the Faculty of Architecture. Commission of National Education in Krakow, as well as the Faculty of Architecture of the Krakow University of Technology and the Faculty of Architecture of the Gdansk University of Technology, decided to create an inter-university, interdisciplinary postgraduate course on "ARCHIKULTURE - architectural educator", which will allow to educate a cadre of educators, facilitators andteachers who could consciously and competently conduct individual activities, courses and events later on, as well as introduce classes on the topic of ARCHICULTURE. The concept of the study is based on the assumption of an interdisciplinary dialogue between pedagogical and design-architectural majors.

purpose of the studies

The purpose of the postgraduate studies "ARCHICULTURE - architectural educator" is to educate architectural educators substantively prepared to popularize knowledge about the built environment, in the context of the general desire to improve the culture of building and the quality of the space around us. Graduates of the study will acquire the skills to develop and implement activities in the field of general architectural and spatial education (PEA), as well as its dissemination in institutions and cultural centers, as well as primary and secondary schools. The studies also provide preparation for various forms of conducting the so-called "architectural and spatial mediation", that is, social communication of themes related to architecture and urbanism, the culture of shaping the built environment. The classes provide an opportunity to expand knowledge of architecture and urbanism, as well as the mechanisms of planning and participatory processes.

An extensive module of classes on methodology gives graduates a lot of practical and innovative (21st century competencies, STEAM education, exploratory education, contemporary media, design methods, etc.) tools and inspiration to create original scenarios for classes, programs and educational events in the field of general architectural education - tailored to the specifics of the profession, different audiences and areas of activity (school, culture, participation). Authentic scenarios and programs prepared in the course of study in the field of education (innovation, author's educational program, etc.), culture, mediation and participation, graduates of the course will be able to use directly in their current professional activities.

study program and staff

The study program includes five thematic modules:

Baukultur and general architectural education (PEA) (8 hours),
Introduction to architecture and urban planning (28 hrs.),
Methodology (42 hrs.),
Mediation. Participation. Accessibility (30 hrs.),
PEA educator/mediator (28 hrs.).

Together with the seminar (8 hrs.) and the convention, the study includes a total of 162 teaching hours (30 ECTS). The program is implemented within two academic semesters. Its scope includes four weekend meetings in the first semester and five weekend meetings, and a congress (18 hours) in the second semester. The studies are planned in a hybrid formula: monthly meetings are carried out remotely, while the congress is conducted in a stationary form - simultaneously in up to three locations: in Krakow, Warsaw and Gdansk.

Classes will be conducted by Dr. Dorota Wantuch-Matla (study director), Dr. Katarzyna Domagalska (content manager on behalf of NIAiU), Dr. Elżbieta Kusińska (study coordinator on behalf of the Faculty of Architecture of the Cracow University of Technology) and Dr. Piotr Marczak (study coordinator on behalf of the Faculty of Architecture of the Gdansk University of Technology).

recruitment

The study is intended for graduates of the first degree (bachelor's, engineering) or second degree (master's).
Participants in the study may include: graduates of the following majors: architecture, art, design, humanities, as well as teachers, educators in school day-care centers, museum workers, employees of cultural centers, cultural animators, local/regional leaders, people working in local governments and non-governmental organizations. People who want to increase their qualifications in the field of education and architectural/spatial mediation.