Reflective Journal (Dalian)

Learning Outcomes

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• work to set deadlines and manage time effectively.
• demonstrate organisational skills;
• reflect on your ideas and draw conclusions to assist the development of a specialist practice project;
• communicate your ideas in a variety of verbal, written, technological and visual formats, demonstrating awareness of global contexts;

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• make decisions so as to realise your ideas within a theoretical framework;
• identify and select different working methods so as to advance your ideas;
• recognise, explore, reflect on and evaluate your practical skills in the context of visual and textual information relevant to your ideas through a reflective journal;
• develop your understanding of and respond critically to complex relationships between practical, technical and contextually informed design processes.

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• the value of critically reflecting upon the development and context of your work and processes of decision making;
• key theoretical and contextual themes relevant to your ideas;
• the practices and methods which you can utilise to communicate your ideas within a context informed by specialist practice and related research.

The Reflective Journal documents your experience of the development of your ideas in the Specialist Practice and Research 2b module. It will contain notes on reference material collected and analysed and document the development of a range of practice and research techniques and methods utilised in a project. Your understanding and consideration of the context in which you are practicing, as well as an articulation of how this context informs and/or challenges your practice, should be evident. It is a requirement that the 1000 word critical summary must be typed. The Reflective Journal is the equivalent of a 3000-word essay.

Teaching and learning methods

Teaching methods include

• Introduction to the module
• Introduction to methods and techniques of a reflective journal
• Group critiques tutorials

Learning activities include

• Reflective journal
• Self-reflection (i.e., what have I experienced?)
• Independent analysis (i.e., what have I learnt from looking at the work of other artists’, artefacts etc. ?)

Relationship between the teaching, learning and assessment methods and the planned learning outcomes

Learning in this module promotes independent study and is supported by tutorials. You will be encouraged to reflect on the development of your specialist skills and the decision making processes in the context of specialist practice.

Self-reflection is critical. This means analysing your ideas, methods chosen to develop your work and the skills selected to realise your ideas within a project. The critical work of the Journal will be mostly evidenced in your 1000 word summary but should also be evidenced by way of critical comments and reflective text inserted into your Journal.

The assessed outcome of this module is the Reflective Journal itself.

Resources & Reading list

Textbooks

Tschichold, J. (2006). The New Typography (New ed.).. Berkeley: University of California Press.

Davis, M. (2012). Graphic design theory (Graphic Design in Context). London: Thames & Hudson.

Black, S. (2012). Eco Fashion- the Fashion Paradox. Routledge.

Rawsthorn, A. (n.d.). (2013). Hello world: Where design meets life. Hamish Hamilton.

Collins, H. (2010). Creative Research: The theory and practice of research for the creative industries. Lausanne: AVA Publishing.

McCarthy, S., & Venezky, M. (n.d.). (2013). The designer as author, producer, activist, entrepreneur, curator & collaborator: New models for communicating. Bis Publishers.

Armstrong, H. (2009). Graphic Design Theory: Readings from the field. New York: Princeton Architectural Press.

Lury, C. (2011). Consumer Culture. Polity Press.

Potter, N. (2002). What is a designer: Things, places, messages.. London: Hyphen Press.

Jackson, P, Lowe, M, Millar, D, Mort, F (2000). Commercial Cultures: Economies, Practices, Spaces. Berg Publishers.

Sudjic, D. (2009). The language of things. London: Penguin.

Bourdieu, P. (1984). Distinction: A social critique of the Judgement of Taste. Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd.

Lupton, E., & Miller, J. (1999). Design Writing Research: Writing on graphic design. London: Phaidon.

Grady, J., & Grady, K. (2006). A designer's research manual: Succeed in design by knowing your clients and what they really need. Gloucester, Mass.: Rockport.

Clarke, M. (2007). Verbalising the visual: translating art and design into words. Lausanne: AVA Publishing.

Formative

This is how we’ll give you feedback as you are learning. It is not a formal test or exam.

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Repeat

An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.

Repeat Information

Repeat type: Internal