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Critical Walking: A Methods Seminar
Last Updated: 2026-06-03 00:14:01
Abstract
This doctoral seminar has a twofold aim: (1) to develop an in-depth understanding of walking practices and critical walking methodologies across diverse contexts and geographies through theory sessions; and (2) to practise critical walking in walking seminars as a method for generating, communicating, and sharing one’s own research.
Objective
The seminar develops walking as an 'Urmethode' in landscape and urban research, treating site as the primary locus of inquiry and walking as the core of fieldwork from which other spatial methods emerge. Through alternating theory sessions and walking seminars, participants engage critically with key texts and precedents on walking theories and practices while experimenting with mobile and multisensory ethnographies (audiovisual, digital, sensory/embodied, participatory) that move beyond sedentary, static approaches. Emphasis is placed on immersive and critical engagement with diverse landscapes and on translating situated field encounters into rigorous analytical writing and public-facing formats.
Content
The seminar alternates between theory and walking sessions. Theory sessions begin with a short input followed by participant-led, in-depth discussion of key texts. Walking sessions are seminars on the move, where participants share ongoing work and engage in structured, collegial exchange and critique. Invited guests will share their perspectives and contribute to hands-on writing and peer-review sessions. Short writing assignments accompany selected sessions, culminating in a single integrative submission at the end of the semester. The seminar concludes with a final crit, where participants present work-in-progress and reflect collectively on their methods, findings, and modes of dissemination.
Resources
Lecture Notes
19.02. Introduction to Critical Walking26.02. Ways of Walking | Marie-Anne Lerjen (WALK 1)05.03. Walking and Mapping12.03. Crossing and Reimagining | Patrick Düblin19.03. NO CLASS26.03. Footnotes:Reflections on Walking, Writing, and the Arts of Noticing | Matthew Ashton02.04. Peripatetic Exchange (WALK 2)09.04. NO CLASS16.04. Towards a Vital Milieu: Unflattening the Upper Rhine Plain |Johanna Just23.04. Being There. Three Modes of Walking in Urban Naturecultural Places | Michele Porcelluzzi30.04. Walking as Research07.05. Itinerary Crit (WALK 3)
General Information
- Language
- English
- Levels
- DR , MSC
- Frequency
- Yearly recurring
Examination
- Type
- ungraded semester performance
Course Components
| Type | Title | Time & Place | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| seminar | Critical Walking: A Methods Seminar |
|
2 h weekly |
Offered In
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Doctorate Architecture (More Information at: )
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Core Courses (The core courses build on the basic courses and convey basic, broad knowledge in the core areas of landscape architecture in relation to design lessons. Some of the core courses are compulsory and some are freely selectable. Further details, in particular about taking these subjects, for performance assessments and for compensating for failed subjects, are regulated in Art. 27 and Art. 31 Paragraph 4.)
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