UC Santa Barbara

The present study sought to make visible how and in what ways critique, as a disciplinary practice and process, was discursively constructed among actors in and through the opportunities for learning afforded in a third-year, 24/7 access architectural design studio. To gain an emic perspective (Agar, 1994), as an outsider entering a new disciplinary study, required a multilayered approach to trace over time how and in what ways processes and practices were proposed, established and (re)formulated. Discourse-in-use (Bloome & Clark, 2006) was the driving construct of this research project, as a way to trace how critique practices and processes were inscribed in this course of study. Data were constructed using written fieldnotes completed in the course, email correspondences with the instructor, video records of the course, course records, and ethnographic interview-conversations. Analyses made visible that opportunities for learning the practices and processes of critique. Opportunities that varied from formal to informal, engagement with different actors (Spradley, 1980), and participation in different learning environments were all critical to preparing students for the academic, social, and cultural demands in the architecture profession. The findings lay a foundation for further analyses about other phenomenon/a central to work in the design studio.