Cultural Practices and Resilience

Course NameCultural Practices and Resilience

OCW type: Course

Higher Education InstitutionKamla Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute for Architecture and Environmental Studies (KRVIA), Mumbai

Image Source: Photo by Amit Gaur on Unsplash

Description of course

Aim: To study and review sociological and cultural heritage perspectives on the meaning of resilience from a South Asian lens. The questions of cultural practices in-built in the everyday urbanism of Indian cities are inextricably tied to the questions of resilience.

Course Objectives:

Resilience, as a construct has myriad connotations. In the global South, particularly in South Asia resilience takes a different meaning based on context specific experiences and altogether different challenges posed by cities. Through a variety of scholarly readings and several examples and case studies this elective seeks to develop a holistic sociological understanding of resilience through the lens of cultural practices and every day urbanism in Indian cities. The specific objectives of the course include a better understanding of the following:

  • Cultural Heritage, resilience and change
  • Case studies for site at risks- Venice, Kyoto, Kathmandu, Jakarta, Rio de Janeiro, Paris
  • Capacity to absorb disturbance
  • Adaptability and transformability
  • Climate change and heritage
  • Resource management
  • Memory & place in heritage resilience
  • Future of the past

Learning Outcomes:

  • Theoretical understanding of the diverse sociological and cultural heritage perspectives of resilience
  • Students will read a variety of scholarly literature with a specific focus on the Global South
  • They will simultaneously get a global understanding of the subject
  • Develop understanding of urban morphology through phenomena of cultural heritage and social practices
  • Identify various forces and possible threats in the morphological structures and understand their relationships
  • Develop suitable visual and creative methods to depict urban resilience with specific real-life examples from their eco system.

Course Structure

Course Duration: 16 weeks, Once a week 

Course FrequencyEvery Year

Course Format: Elective/Lectures/ reading/presentations

Course Content

Prerequisites for participation

A minimum of 10 students from the Post graduate Program of Urban Design or Urban Conservation.

Course Syllabus:

Module 1

Introduction with sharing of reading materials

Module 2

Reading and presenting scholarly literature

Module 3

Interactions with class

Module 4

Class presenting their own interpretations of the concepts learned

Module 5

Representing and communicating

Module 6

Learnings for Design

Course Assignments:

Study of chosen sites, drawing and representing them using the concepts learnt in class.

Expected time spent on course:

Time spent in hours: 53 hours

Time spent in ECTS (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System): 2 ECTS

Course Grading

Assessment Criteria and Distribution of Marks:

Stages and Details:

Percentage of Total Mark

Internal assessment based on student participation in class

50%

Assignment submission

50%

Total

100%

Course Evaluation

Evaluation Procedure & Criteria:

Deans and Academic advisors evaluate and comment upon the course structure before the course in conducted.

After the course, participant evaluation feedback analysis obtained through ERP is made available to individual faculty.

Faculty Evaluation:

Informal interactions in the studio by way of review of daily progress along with formal evaluation by way of juries as per the above provided course grading.

Student Evaluation:

Standard format by way of a questionnaire is available for the students to suggest their learnings as well as areas in which the course can improve.

Last modified: Friday, 14 January 2022, 10:22 AM