20th-Century Australian Architecture
Assignment Two
Critical Essay
Starting from an issue of a journal or magazine held in the collection (Building: The Magazine for the Architect, Builder, Property Owner and Merchant: 1.1 https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-300349696/view?partId=nla.obj-300350216 ), you will survey the issue in order to find something you regard as important, compelling, problematic or intriguing in its pages. There are no restrictions on this. You will prepare an essay that describes a topic, or problem, or theme, or work, or figure, or debate, or product, or something else, and takes a position on it. The essay may concern any topic, but that topic should inform a programme of research and reading that will help you to understand your subject better—not solely in the terms presented in the journal itself.
You will provide historical, professional, artistic and/or intellectual context for your chosen topic. Your work may position your topic in relation to fields of knowledge beyond the strict scope of architectural history. It may be informed by the lectures and tutorial discussions, or follow a path you have determined for yourself.
As with your first assignment, your argument might concern anything suggested by your reading and appreciation of the magazine you are asked to consider: its context, its insights into other sources and references, its conversations with work both built or unbuilt, and with architecture in Sydney, elsewhere in Australia, or beyond. Again, this will require contextual reading and research, for which the University Library will be your primary resource.
You are required to submit an illustrated essay, 3,000 words in length (incl. notes and bibliography). There are no restrictions on format, but essays should be legible and manifest a considered balance between images and text. Submission will be electronic and subject to review by the University’s academic integrity software.
The essay must be full referenced, with captions, footnotes and bibliography formatted according to the Chicago Manual of Style.
Assessment Criteria
- Your understanding of the broader historical context of specific works of architecture and their
depiction (20 marks available)
- Your ability to formulate an original argument (20 marks)
- The conceptual framework and structure of your essay (10 marks)
- Accuracy of historical knowledge (10 marks)
- Your written expression, formatting and referencing (10 marks)
