Course coordinator
Dr Ali Rad Yousefnia
Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 1, 2026 (23/02/2026 - 20/06/2026)
- Study level
- Undergraduate
- Location
- St Lucia
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 2
- Administrative campus
- St Lucia
- Coordinating unit
- Architecture, Design and Planning School
An exploration of the broader social forces and practices that form the built environment, the role of architecture amongst these forces, its relationship to the lived experience of social and spatial settings.
This course is last offered Semester 1 2026. Students should enrol in ARCH2010 First Nations Architectural Histories from Semester 1 2027. Please email adp@uq.edu.au for all enquiries.
ARCH2140 is one of four core history and theory courses offered in the Bachelor of Architectural Design introducing fundamental exemplars of past and present architecture, and consideration of their meanings and values within relevant theoretical contexts. Students will develop skills in the analysis of buildings and texts, with argumentation through discussion, presentations and written communication.
ARCH2140 is designed to build on architectural knowledge and skills and develop students' ability in the analysis of architecture. The course explores processes of urbanisation over time as a way of examining the relationship between peopleﾠand the built environment. From city-wide ambitions, to the detailing of apartments for specific users, this course prompts students to question how the built environment is affected by individuals, families, economies and political structures.
Course requirements
Assumed background
Students should have a sound command of English and of reading academic texts.
Recommended companion or co-requisite courses
We recommend completing the following courses at the same time:
(ARCH2100 or ARCH2001) and (BLDG2220 or ARCH1020)
Incompatible
You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:
ARCH2010
Course contact
Course staff
Lecturer
Dr Ali Rad Yousefnia
Tutor
Mr Craig Atkins
Mr Aaron Barton
Timetable
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Aims and outcomes
This course aims to develop students' ability to analyse the broader social forces and practices that form the built environment, the role of architecture amongst these forces, and its relationship to the lived experience of social and spatial settings.
ﾠ
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Identify and discuss material practices and spatial settings.
LO2.
Analyse the actual and perceived role of the built environment in forming social entities such as citizen, family, and class.
LO3.
Differentiate and evaluate the role and concept of architecture in relation to the broader issues of the built environment.
LO4.
Collaboratively conduct simple research tasks in response to a defined project.
LO5.
Independently use evidence to construct written arguments about built environment issues.
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Creative Production/ Exhibition, Presentation |
Mapping and Understanding Built Spaces: Presentation
|
30% Group |
Submission 16/03/2026 5:00 pm Presentations in class 17/03/2026 |
| Essay/ Critique | Research Essay | 30% |
13/04/2026 5:00 pm |
| Examination |
Final exam
|
40% IVAH |
End of Semester Exam Period 6/06/2026 - 20/06/2026 |
A hurdle is an assessment requirement that must be satisfied in order to receive a specific grade for the course. Check the assessment details for more information about hurdle requirements.
Assessment details
Mapping and Understanding Built Spaces: Presentation
- Team or group-based
- In-person
- Mode
- Activity/ Performance, Oral, Product/ Artefact/ Multimedia
- Category
- Creative Production/ Exhibition, Presentation
- Weight
- 30% Group
- Due date
Submission 16/03/2026 5:00 pm
Presentations in class 17/03/2026
- Other conditions
- Time limited, Peer assessment factor.
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04
Task description
Assessment Rationale:
This assessment involves the task of revealing the dynamics of constantly transforming urban spaces. Experiencing built spaces by walking through them is a practice for producing spatial knowledge. It involves immersing oneself in built spaces while remaining alert and receptive to specific characteristics, shapes, symbols, streets, buildings, movement, infrastructure, events, people, interactions, happenings, and encounters. These are comprehended through one’s senses (audio, visual, olfactory, and tactile) and recorded via maps, sketches, collages, diagrams, photographs, videos, texts, and narratives. Groups of 5 students will be like detectives and walk to discover other/creative/subversive uses of spaces besides the predefined and functional ones. Select a familiar starting point (e.g. university) to a part of the city/suburb that interests you.
Student groups will prepare a presentation video that expresses the complexity experienced during the walk, students will make critical connections to issues related to ‘Architecture in Society’ and sustainable Development Goals (SDG): sheltering, vernacular architecture, indigenous architecture, informal settlements, displacement and post-disaster shelter, humanitarian architecture, refugees, public/social/ housing, affordable housing, suburbia, spatial justice and exclusion, power and identity, and agency and belonging.
If, for whatever reason, you find that your group is not functioning effectively, please contact the Course Coordinator for support.
Complex/authentic assessment using AI and/or MT to support learning: This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI and/or MT technologies, successful completion of the assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance. A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct. To pass this assessment, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written submission, independent of AI and MT tools.
Submission guidelines
The School of Architecture, Design and Planning uses Blackboard and Turnitin for assessment submission. Turnitin is accessed through the course Blackboard site. Turnitin also checks for plagiarism or instances where the original work of others is not appropriately acknowledged. Uploaded files must contain readable text and not be rasterised. Students are advised to commence assignment uploads with a sufficient amount of time (consider possible technical problems with computers, internet speed, etc). After successfully submitting an assignment through Turnitin, a ‘Submission Complete!’ screen will be displayed. It is the student’s responsibility to check the assignment preview and confirm successful submission. If the ‘Submission Complete!’ screen isn’t displayed, the student should regard the submission as unsuccessful. Students should download a copy of the digital receipt as proof that they have submitted the assignment. Students who are experiencing upload issues must advise the Course Coordinator immediately by email and should include screenshots and a copy of the assessment for submission. To meet professional accreditation, public engagement and quality assurance obligations, digital copies of all course assessment items must be submitted in addition to any hard copy submission requirements specified in individual Course / Studio Outlines. Any physical models should be photographed, and a minimum of two photographs describing the complete and full model must be included in the digital submission.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
If a student wishes to apply for an extension, they must apply online on or before the assignment due date. When possible, it is suggested that requests be submitted 2 business days prior to the submission due date for the assignment to allow processing time. Students with outstanding applications for extensions are advised to submit their assessment by the original due date, irrespective of whether the work is complete, so that what has been done can be graded.
Group requests must fill out the group member acknowledgement form: https://my.uq.edu.au/files/35533/extension-to-group-assessment.pdf with at least 50% in agreement. If 50% of group members do not agree, the extension will not be approved.
Presentations
Extensions for oral groupwork are typically not available as this impacts on all members of the team. If one student has an extension then this student will receive the same mark as their other group members.
No Discretionary Extension will be available for the presentation or associated component of this assessment (e.g. Presentation Slides submitted the day before).
Late submission
The late penalty for this assessment item will be calculated as follows:
Standard 10% (or 1 grade) per day for 7 days
Research Essay
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Essay/ Critique
- Weight
- 30%
- Due date
13/04/2026 5:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L05
Task description
Assessment Rationale:
Students will write a research essay based on their observations in Assessment 1, or another related topic, subject to the agreement of the Course coordinator and in consultation with their tutor. The research essay should include text, photographs, maps, drawings, and diagrams (as appropriate). The essay should use illustrations (photographs, maps, sketches, drawings, and diagrams) to support and strengthen the argument.
Complex/authentic assessment using AI and/or MT to support learning: This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI and/or MT technologies, successful completion of the assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance. A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct. To pass this assessment, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written submission, independent of AI and MT tools.
Submission guidelines
The School of Architecture, Design and Planning uses Blackboard and Turnitin for assessment submission. Turnitin is accessed through the course Blackboard site. Turnitin also checks for plagiarism or instances where the original work of others is not appropriately acknowledged. Uploaded files must contain readable text and not be rasterised. Students are advised to commence assignment uploads with sufficient amount of time (consider possible technical problems with computers, internet speed, etc). After successfully submitting an assignment through Turnitin, a ‘Submission Complete!’ screen will be displayed. It is the student’s responsibility to check assignment preview and confirm successful submission. If the ‘Submission Complete!’ screen isn’t displayed, the student should regard the submission as unsuccessful. Students should download a copy of the digital receipt as proof they have submitted the assignment. Students who are experiencing upload issues must advise the Course Coordinator immediately by email and should include screenshots and a copy of the assessment for submission. To meet professional accreditation, public engagement and quality assurance obligations, digital copies of all course assessment items must be submitted in addition to any hard copy submission requirements specified in individual Course / Studio Outlines. Any physical models should be photographed and a minimum of two photographs describing the complete and full model must be included in the digital submission.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
If a student wishes to apply for an extension, they must apply online on or before the assignment due date. When possible, it is suggested that requests are submitted 2 business days prior to the submission due date for the assignment to allow processing time. Students with outstanding applications for extensions are advised to submit their assessment by the original due date, irrespective of whether the work is complete, so that what has been done can be graded.
Late submission
The late penalty for this assessment item will be calculated as follows:
Standard 10% (or 1 grade) per day for 7 days
Final exam
- Hurdle
- Identity Verified
- In-person
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Examination
- Weight
- 40% IVAH
- Due date
End of Semester Exam Period
6/06/2026 - 20/06/2026
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L05
Task description
Assessment Rationale:
The final exam (40 points) consists of three parts:
Part 1: 10 Multiple choice questions (10 points) - assesses the students' understanding of key terminologies and concepts discussed during the course's lectures and tutorials. The choices will be longer than single words, and you should expect questions that will test your analytical skills.
Part 2: 2 Short answer questions (20 points) - assesses the students' ability to interpret visual elements and relate them to issues discussed in the lectures and tutorials.
Part 3: Short essay (max. 500 words) (10 points) - assesses the students' ability to reflect on topics discussed in the lectures, tutorials and/or chosen readings, and to link their understanding of these topics to historical, social and/or cultural context.
In-person assessment prohibits the use of AI or MT: This assessment task is to be completed in-person. The use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT) tools will not be permitted. Any attempted use of AI or MT may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Hurdle requirements
A hurdle is an assessment requirement that must be satisfied to receive a specific grade in the course. This assessment item is designated as a Hurdle in this course. This means a minimum achievement of 50% (a grade of 4) is required for this assessment item in order to pass the course. Meeting the hurdle requirement for a course does not guarantee a passing grade for the course and in order to pass this course, students also need to achieve a minimum grade of 4 overall.Exam details
| Planning time | 10 minutes |
|---|---|
| Duration | 120 minutes |
| Calculator options | No calculators permitted |
| Open/closed book | Open book examination - any written or printed material is permitted; material may be annotated |
| Exam platform | Paper based |
| Invigilation | Invigilated in person |
Submission guidelines
Deferral or extension
You may be able to defer this exam.
Late submission
Exams submitted after the end of the submission time will incur a late penalty.
Course grading
Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.
| Grade | Cut off Percent | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (Low Fail) | 0 - 24 |
Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 2 (Fail) | 25 - 44 |
Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 3 (Marginal Fail) | 45 - 49 |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes |
| 4 (Pass) | 50 - 64 |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 5 (Credit) | 65 - 74 |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 6 (Distinction) | 75 - 84 |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 7 (High Distinction) | 85 - 100 |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
Additional course grading information
Identity verified assessment with a hurdle (IVAH)
To meet assessment validity and integrity obligations, this course includes at least one piece of individual Identity Verified Assessment with a Hurdle (IVAH) that is unambiguously completed by that student, and in which a minimum level of achievement is reached. IVAH assessment item(s) contribute at least 30% towards the final grade. Examples of IVAH items include any activity in which a student’s individual performance is directly monitored, such as performances, fieldwork, oral assessment (including design critiques), design studio project work and invigilated exams. In order to pass this course students must achieve a minimum grade for the IVAH designated assessment item(s) as stated in the Assessment Task Description in the ECP.
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is available for this course.
Learning resources
You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.
Library resources
Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.
Learning activities
The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.
Filter activity type by
Please select
| Learning period | Activity type | Topic |
|---|---|---|
Multiple weeks From Week 1 To Week 12 |
Lecture |
Lecture Weekly topics and the list of guest lecturers will be announced on Week 1 Lecture. For further details, please check the Course Blackboard Ultra page. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
Tutorial |
Tutorial See Blackboard for information. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05 |
Policies and procedures
University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:
- Student Code of Conduct Policy
- Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
- Assessment Procedure
- Examinations Procedure
- Reasonable Adjustments for Students Policy and Procedure
- AI for Assessment Guide
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.