Theory of Science for PhD Fellows

Course Description

This course introduces science theories from historical and disciplinary perspectives. The course introduces knowledge conceptions within the natural, human and social sciences. Design-based research approaches such as research-through-design will also be presented and contextualised in a broader research perspective.

The course will give participants a comprehensive understanding of scientific theories and their validity, reliability and credibility criteria and touch upon research methodological questions. The course is based on lectures and seminar discussions. The course will enable participants to contextualise their research projects on a broader science theoretical perspective but does not directly address the participants’ research projects.

The course requires the preparation of literature reading before and between the two parts of the course. The participants will receive a reading list.

• Dates: 12 – 13 January and 15 – 16 February 2024
• Target group: The course targets PhDs in the early and middle stages of their research project
• Minimum/maximum number of participants: Minimum 6 and maximum 18
• Course language: English
• ECTS points: 4,5 ECTS
• Location: Aarhus School of Architecture, Exners Plads 7, 8000 Aarhus C
• Registration deadline: Friday 5 January at 12.00 (noon).

Registration via e-mail to PhD Coordinator Mia Mimi Flodager, mmf@aarch.dk​

Course instructors:
Niels Albertsen, Martin Odgaard, Claus Peder Pedersen, Anders Troelsen and others.

Bibliographies of course instructors:

Claus Peder Pedersen is an MSO Professor at the Aarhus School of Architecture, where he is head of the joint PhD School of Aarhus School of Architecture and the Design School of Kolding. His research focuses on architectural design methodologies and creative processes with an interest in representation and digital design tools. He actively promotes practice- and design-driven research as part of the CA²RE network and previously the ADAPT-r Marie Curie ITN. He is educated as an architect from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and holds a PhD in architecture from The Aarhus School of Architecture.

Niels Albertsen is professor emeritus at the Aarhus School of Architecture, which he joined in 1975. His background is in social science (political science originally). His research and teaching topics are urban and social theory, architectural and design theory, the sociology of the architectural profession, the sociology and philosophy of art and atmosphere, and theories of science and interdisciplinarity. He was the Director of the Welfare City Project (1998-2004), Head of the Department of Landscape and Urbanism (2003-2011) and Co-director of the Centre for Strategic Urban Research (2004-2015).

Martin Odgaard is an associate professor in urban- and landscape planning at the Aarhus School of Architecture. He holds a Ph.D. in architecture from 2014, where he defended his thesis on the relation between urban planning, landscape architecture and biodiversity. Besides his academic career, he has practised as an architect primarily within the fields of urban design and –planning. Martin’s primary interests lie within the cross-fields of urban planning, landscape- and nature planning, and landscape design.

Anders Troelsen is Professor at the Aarhus School of Architecture and former Associate Professor in art history at Aarhus University. He holds a mag.art. in comparative literature and BA in media studies from Copenhagen University. He has published numerous books and articles concerning art, film, architecture, city planning and inter-arts. Recently he has published a comprehensive book about pictorial analysis (Kunstværk, udenværk og visuel kultur. Om at se på billeder, Aarhus University Press, 2022). Holding an investigator’s grant from The Novo Nordisk Foundation he is working on a project about »The Vertical City. Approaches to the Skyscraper City« (presented in The Nordic Journal of Aesthetics, https://doi.org/10.7146/nja.v29i59.120471