Proseminar in Urbanism, Landscape, Ecology

This required seminar introduces candidates in the MDes Urbanism, Landscape, Ecology (ULE) concentration to the range of individual and group research on urbanism, landscape, and ecology presently pursued by GSD faculty. Through weekly readings, presentations, research tutorials, and discussions, incoming MDes ULE students are introduced to the research agendas of several core faculty members working in this area. Each faculty member will present a distinct set of questions and methods with respect to contemporary urbanism, landscape, ecology, geography, cartography, or territory. 

Seminar participants will gain insight into the discourse surrounding a diverse array of disciplinary questions, and into the methodological implications of those questions. They will be invited to identify a particular research problem or question to inform their own research within the context of the various topics, themes, and agendas articulated and discussed in the seminar. Participants will present this question in the form of an abstract, a seminar presentation, and research paper. Upon completion of the seminar, MDes ULE candidates will have articulated a specific research question to pursue in the coming semesters with a faculty advisor.