This evening was a wonderful example of how student voices matter. The Landscape Architecture department, in looking to the future of the curriculum, called a townhall to discuss how to better the program. At the townhall students heard from Chair Richard Weller about weaknesses in the past, current weaknesses, and unique opportunities to expand.

Some of the key notes were a need to focus more on planting vs grading, on theories role in other classes, and the role of modern case studies in informing students base knowledge. Overall the curriculum is structured to cover a span of project types, small to large scale, a variety of tools and structures of design, and to holistically cover the knowledge needed to be a landscape architect. The recap, the self analysis, the note that this curriculums core has been nearly the same for 60 odd years led right into the question. What do you, as students, think are areas in which we can improve? How can we revamp the curiculum again while holding to the good core of it?

This promptly led to all students present, I’d estimate about 60 people, with pizza slices in hand, spliting into groups of 15 to discuss the curriculum, classes, general structure of the school, and resources we should be using more.

In my groups discussion we covered each year 500 to 700 focusing on support classes for studio like Sally’s ecology-workshop class, media 4 and workshop 4 cross collaborating on some elements, replacing workshop 4 with a landscape detailing class currently an elective, the order of studio topics with the 600 year, the structured versus free set up of studios and their order, the need for more hands on project development, small assignments versus large projects in learning technical skills, and the need for more pre instruction or orientation for international/2 year students. There were certainly many, many more topics discussed with perspectives from students from current 500’s to 700 dual degrees in their 4th year.

At the end the community agreed having a townhall once a semester to continue to adjust the program would be beneficial. All group notes were collected by student representatives to be typed up and given to the Chair Richard Weller to consider before the next faculty meeting.

It is heartening to see a department so open to self reflection and to listen to student opinion. They department really cares to continue to do well through adjustments to the curriculum. It’s nice to know as well that this sort of feedback, given through student reps on a monthly basis is taken into consideration and handled so quickly! Some of the complaints of 700’s had already been addressed in the years below and discussions today were able to review the success of it and further refinement. The landscape department is clearly commited to success through a democratic process of critique and adjustment.

Not so much can be said of the architecture department. The few town halls I have heard of through rumor were not said to have been productive. Certainly I did not recieve a single email notice of them. Being a dual degree I believe my opinion matters in both fields and am a little annoyed that getting any news from architecture is harder than it needs to be. Maybe this year I will finally get notice of an architecture townhall, hopefully schedule to enable attendance.

For now, I am thankful for the caring department of Landscape Architecture and look forward to the adjustments and revised curriculum to come!

Hi again all!! I know I have been a bit silent recently. I am happy to be back however and have sooooo many stories to share! In the next week or two I’ll be recapping the major highlights of the last semester as well as the whole career/job section of this blog.

In more current news I am back in architecture for a semester. A semester which started well before the actual first day of class! Every year students entering 602 architecture, second year-second semester, are required to complete an anonymous portfolio for the Dales Competition. The Dales is an in house portfolio competition judged by faculty of the architecture department with winners receiving money prize for travel. The competition has a few key rules: every portfolio must be anonymous (no names anywhere, we are given numbers upon turning it in and are kept listed in a spreadsheet), a travel proposal must be included for travel outside the U.S.A., and it should be predominantly work completed at Penn (outside work may be included but it is typically not) fitting the template given (8.5×11 sheets). Portfolios were due by 10 AM on the very first day! Which means that much of winter break was spent editing project work, looking over layouts, and dreaming of all the wonderful places to go see in this world. And then getting a budgeted reality check. The Dales has a fluctuating monetary prize ranging from $1500-5000. The prize winner(s) are announced at a evening event TBD. Winners are released the funding once travel has been purchased (flights, boats, trains, etc) and are expected to travel to planned destination.

I am dreaming of a trip to Mexico. The place my boyfriend spent half his childhood growing up in and the other half missing. Where ancient ruins abut everyday life and ancient traditions, like building the chinampas of Xochimilco Park, are maintained. Mexico also holds a number of projects which I initially researched as part of an architecture studio in 2015 which completely changed the course of my career. After that research and that studio I had decided that I needed to study Landscape Architecture. While I still feel caught somewhere between the two, Landscape and Architecture, I am very happy to have the opportunity to study both. I trust the skills I have gained here will help me design a more integrated nature and city. A hybrid which hopefully will have some positive impact on a livable world.

So with a lot of clicking and a little daydreaming the semester began!

This semester I am in an architecture studio, taking an architecture elective on buildings and water, professional practice 1, a planting detailing class for landscapes, and media for landscape.

For dual degrees I highly recommend talking to both offices about your schedule and asking for the spreadsheet they use to keep track of what courses you need to take ASAP. I really wish they had given me that sooner(somehow I always got something else and not this version). I have done fine, but it would have taken some of the stress and pointless email coordination out of the equation. But with a little more effort I was able to get everything settled.

In addition to the regular 5 credit course load I am very excited to be a part of LA+ working on the next issue. I won’t say anymore there but if you haven’t already checked it out I highly recommend it! LA+ is a landscape architecture journal focusing on unique fields cross section with landscape, to learn more: https://laplusjournal.com/

I look forward to what this semester brings and hope that sharing it, and the recent past, with all of you will be helpful to your own journeys! Til the next story!