Week 7

In order to properly finish this project I need to do a bit more research. Interviews are going to be the next phase however. I have observed quit a bit and think that for the moment I have plenty of information from that perspective. Once I so a few interviews and see what information I can conclude from that then it will give me a more accurate estimation of how much more research and observation I need to conduct before I do my paper and finish this project. No matter what the out comes to from the interviews I will have to do some more research and observation, however to what extent is the question. I plan to interview a few different students and plan on interviewing a studio professor. After that I will look at the information and if I can not get enough information I might consider requesting a meeting with the head of the architecture department.

Box 18

The professors in the architecture studio seem to not do much, however they have a very important role. They make sure that students stay on task with the project and do not stray to far into there own world. They also make sure that the students learn what they need to learn form the assignments to do well in the future and that they understand why they are doing what they do. But even more importantly they act as a friend to help cop with all the stress and worrys of an architecture major that is like a parent that is a friend.

Version 2

This is a diagram of an architecture studio. Tables are lined up so each person is next to someone if not facing them. The room is small for the number of desks, making this a very close community. It also allows and encourages interaction with other students which is crucial in the teaching style that is prevalent at Ball State. The small aisles give just enough room for students and professors to maneuver but give plenty of room for students to have large desks to work at. The green lines show the most common areas of travel, while the grey shows area where light is let in. There is a very small amount of windows in the room to keep from distracting first year students and who are not used to the work load. The upper classmen architecture studios have larger rooms that are packed with desks and cabinets; they have windows that let in a small amount of light.

Version 1

This is a rough diagram of an architecture studio. The tables are lined up so that each person is next to someone if not facing them or in some cases both. The room is small for how many desks there are making this a very close community. It also allows and encourages interaction with other students which is crucial in the teaching style that is prevalent at Ball State. The small aisle ways give just enough room for students and professors to maneuver but give plenty of room for students to have bug desks to work at. The green lines show the most common areas of travel, which is not much, while the grey shows area where light is let in. There is a very small amount of windows in the room to keep from distracting first year students and who are not used to the work load. The architecture studios however are a bit different. Larger rooms that are still packed with desks and cabinets do have windows that let in a small amount of light for students that know the work load and are used to it who are less likely to be distracted by outside involvement.

Box 16

An open room that makes you feel as though you are always in the way. Trapped to never know what is going on outside of the room and to never see your friends again, depression, sadness, exhaustion, happiness, and goofy. Words that come to mind on a late night when you enter studio and see all of the students working vigorously to finish a project that no one that is not in architecture would consider anything or relevant to the same. The room is like a cool late fall day, the temperature is just cold enough to chill a person but not cool enough to cause discomfort. Emotions are seen yet not recognized at this point in the project. It is late and no one wants to be there yet everyone is and seem to be having a good time. You feel as an outsider as everyone acts as though they are with family or working with a best friend as they are. Despite the enormous amount of work ahead of them, and the decreasing amount of time no one seems to, well freak out. The room is terrible in the sense of making a person feeling at home yet because of the atmosphere people do not worry about getting a project done, instead they press on getting support from others and that keeps them from freaking out and not getting the objective completed.

Box 15

A sense of calmness flows through your body as you feel the warm sun shine through the trees and spot your face. A brief cool breeze hits your face that sooths your soul as you take in the brilliant greens and distant calls of the birds. The ground seems to mold to you feet as you walk on the dirt path, each blade of grass, limb, or bush that touches your body feels as though it has always been there like another arm or an eye. When moving through the woods you can not help but feel like a little kid again. You feel your youth come out and your mind begins to wonder about all that has ever happened and might happen soon. The calming, wondering feeling that this endeavor brings upon a person makes you feel as though you could stay there forever.

Box 12

I have a lot of privileges that some kids my age do not have. I have my own car thanks to hard work when I was younger. I had a good deal of fun in high school thanks to my friends and a lot of fun playing sports thanks to coaches and friends. Right now I have the privilege to attend Ball State for architecture which was due to hard work in high school and a lot of hard work at home during those years.

Week 6

From what I have read about most of the programs around the nation, I believe that most of the programs would be a lot different then Ball States. Ball State has a very distinct program and atmosphere for the architecture subculture. They are very unique in how they interact with one another and how the professors interact with the students. Several programs across the nation have certain attributes that are similar to Ball States however no two programs are entirely alike. Ball State’s program requires that the professors and students have a very special relationship, after awhile they become like family and develop a special bond. This is not just between the students but also the students and teachers. The students also seem to be some of the hardest working students on campus and you do not see that at many campuses across the nation.

Box 8

Not much surprised me about my group so far. From what I had heard before starting this project I had a basic idea of what the group would be like. The only thing that surprised me was the extent in which the sections are close. I expected them to be good friends but I underestimated the time they spent together and therefore underestimated how good of friends they were. They spend hours upon hour together so they have a very special relationship that I am sure others underestimate the same as I did.
What intrigued me the most is how the professors’ role is replaced by the students. When the Archie’s do a critique, the professor talks less then the students, all the professor does is guide they do not teach per say. Students help each other with projects and steer each other in different directions. The professor form what I have seen just seem to be there to keep students on track.
There was not really anything that disturbed me about my group. I thought that everything was fairly normal. The lack of sleep that some of the students get is a bit disturbing, however students that seem to display good time management seem to get plenty of sleep.

Week 5

Most of the sources I have gathered have been from professional magazines involving articles about the broad subject, not my specific subculture. However, I have found bits of articles that have information about my subculture but not whole articles. I have also found one book with mention and a few websites with small amounts of information about my subculture but over all it has all been about my overall culture. I am still searching and am about to start to use none academic search engines to try and find sources. I am going to focus on trying to find websites about my subculture since I have already searched through most of the magazines that we have on campus although I will also continue to search through those. I am going to attempt to interview a few of the senior professors as well to add to my research.

Box 9

After reading Mama Day I can tell that it is a story that has defiantly been rewritten over and over. I can think of a few different movies, although not there titles, that have the same basic story line or have one very similar. This kind of story interests a person and tells a specific story. It gives history yet an interesting story line making it ideal for movies or perhaps even knockoff books.
While the text was difficult to read and understand the first time it did clear up a little bit once I got started. There are still a few things that do not make much sense but do not take away from the reading enough to keep one from reading the story. The characters were very interesting and added a lot to the story. I do not think that the story would have been as strong and as interesting had it been written different or had the characters not been explained the way that they were.
The narrator seemed to interest me the most. The way that the information was explained and the attitude made me relate to the story and draw me in. This is one of the characters that is absolutely needed in the story to make it strong and pull the reader in.

Week 4

Academic resources are considered resources in which come from accredited sources or a professional in that field. For example, a university study would be an academic resource as to where wikipedia allows anyone to place information online with or without sources; this would be considered a non academic resource. Normally with academic resources someone has done research to write that article making it reliable. This is why professors want students to use them, they don’t want a student to use information for a paper that is not creditable and could be false. However, non accredited sources could be used for assignments that require insider information or personal input from others, such as blogs. Although these are not accredited sources that have reliable sources listed for information or not have committed any studies for the topic, they give a person an insiders view on the subject and get daily or personal information about the subject as opposed to statistics and data we can acquire feelings.