Assignment 4: Landscape Concepts in comparison
Task
Assigned: Tuesday, Nov. 30
Due: Tuesday, Jan. 11
in the next assignment the focus is on concepts of landscapes from various cultural backgrounds on both linguistic and professional level. You will discuss similarities and differences according to the understanding of landscape as well as recent and upcoming approaches and visions in various countries and cultures. Based on this you will give answers to questions such as:
- How does the landscape concept in my country look like? What does it say according to future landscapes?
- What is a desirable landscape for the future in my country compared to others?
- Is there a common concept for future landscapes?
In order to learn more about differences and similarities between the participating countries concerning current issues and the future of landscapes, this assignment will be done first in university groups from the same cultural background and then in internationally mixed groups.
These groups will prepare a short presentation, addressing the above mentioned questions along the landscape concepts from each of the countries they represent and one article they study and compare. The overall objective of this assignment is to reflect on how we understand landscape concepts from our own cultural background to be standards for the future compared with those from a different cultural background - and if there is a common concept for future landscapes on the international professional level.
We want you to approach this discussion in different steps:
Step 1: Landscape concepts from your cultural background (university groups / individual students, Nov. 30 - Dec. 13)
Search for definitions and concepts of landscape in literature of your linguistic / cultural background (or write one paragraph in your mother's tongue according to the understanding of landscape in your home country) and prepare an English translation. Send those as word files or pdf to Heike.
Step 2: Presentation of your landscape concepts in the seminar session on Tuesday, Dec. 14
You will present the landscape concepts from your linguistic / cultural background one one slide each and we will discuss similarities and differences accoding to the English translations. Moreover, we will form internationally mixed working teams, distribute professional literature and introduce into useful software for the final step.
LITERATURE:
Texts and articles for this assignment are availabe here.
Step 3: Read one article from the Resources list and compare it according to your landscape concepts (internationally mixed groups, Dec. 15 - January 09, 2011)
Sum up the main aspects from both your own cultural landscape concepts and the landscape concept presented in the article (which should be very different from your cultural background, i.e. Dutch and German students would not choose the article about the "Low lands"). Visualise similarities and differences in a concept map via Cmap Tools. Add concluding thoughts (bringing arguments together) to this map. Add your concept map and some explanatory text to your wiki page. This process needs to be finished on January 9, 2011.
Step 4: Presentation of Landscape Concept comparisons through January 2011
We plan to have all groups presenting their results in the seminar sessions on January 11, 18 and 25. Your presentation should include: short note on the culturally differing landscape concepts (one slide each), the main arguments of the article (1-2 slides) and the synthesis in form of a synchronous concept map (1 slide).
Deliverables:
- Step 1+2: 1-2 definitions / concepts of landscape from your cultural background in your language and translated to English, edited on the Wiki in both versions and send as a Word file to Heike heike.kaiser(at)gmail.com by Dec. 13, 2010.
- Step 3+4: 5-7 minutes presentation briefly introducing your landscape concepts, the article and conclusions as input for a joint discussion; please send your presentation (as ppt or pdf) to Ellen ellen.fetzer(at)hfwu.de for upload in Vitero by January 09, 2011.
Evaluation criteria:
- 50% Content: depth of analysis and reflection; clear communication of findings, creativity in the process of analysis, delivery of products assigned;
- 25% Communication of content: structure/logical flow of spoken language and slides;
- 25% Graphic quality: visual quality, organization, cohesiveness of layout, craftsmanship.