Você está na página 1de 2

From: Thresholds 12 (1996) on "What is Thesis?

"

The Anti-Thesis Pedagogy


a fax from Kenneth Frampton

Along with the seeming

Columbia University.

'anti-thesis'

remain

consensus on the part of the architectural faculty

basically

opposed

to the thesis as the

end

to speak, of a three year, six semester graduate education in architecture.

at

qualification, so

My

opposition

is

based on the following:

way academic freedom

Given*' the

i)

M.Arch programs, every


he or she

sees

faculty

particularly after the

fit

generally operates in respect to studio teaching in

member

year.

first

whatever studio subject

typically free to give

is

The

net result of this

is

there

is

no guar-

antee of any meaningful pedagogical sequence in terms of studio exercises that in the
often have no clear pedagogical aim. Under these circumstances

analysis

expect students to be mature enough


thesis to a successful

more of a chance
ula

.1

thesis

in this regard

would seem

terminating exercise.

to

and

without

2)

my

who

through

a five

or six year program have

of these longer professional B.Arch curric-

at least

in

terms of

it

being an appropriate

surely obvious that three year MrAi'ch programs are architectural

It is

who

have not studied architecture before. Such stu-

view, stand to be exposed to the experiential "losses" of experimental studios

also suffering, in addition, relatively unstructured thesis exercises.

further fallacy of the architectural thesis

that has

pass

in the case

be justifiable

"boot camps," particularly for students


dents, in

last

can one

experienced enough) to bring an independent

(i.e.

conclusion? Students

how

been derived from

a specific piece

is

that

it is

supposed to validate

of research. Even

supposition

with the best will in the

world

an enormous gap usually remains bet^veen the descriptive-analytic level of the research and
the postulative, synthetic character of the project, so that,
effectively validated. This

view of the

the idea of architecture as

thesis

still

some kind of apphed

more

often than not,

little is

derives consciously or unconsciously fi-om

science wliich, in

my

view,

is

a fallacious

proposition.

Surely students acquire craft knowledge by internalizing success rather than by repetitive

my

partial failure. In

view,

if

any student was

to pbcain a parti cii la.rly_aJo d solution

jr

senior studio exercise they should be given the option of carrying this exercise to another
level

of resolution. This would be

more productive form of exercise-in-depth and could

well substitute in any graduate curriculum for the place previously occupied by the thesis.

Kenneth Frampton

is

Ware

Professor of Architecture

School of Architecture, PLvuiiif;; and Preservation

and Director of Adi'aiiccd Studios

at

Cohindiia Graduate

Você também pode gostar