Information Package / Course Catalogue
ARC 474 Playful Spaces
MEF University
Degree Programs
Economics
General Information For Students
Diploma SupplementErasmus Policy Statement
Economics
Bachelor Length of the Programme: 4 Number of Credits: 240 TR-NQF-HE: Level 6 QF-EHEA: First Cycle EQF: Level 6

ECTS Course Information Package

School/Faculty/Institute Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture
Course Code ARC 474
Course Title in English Playful Spaces
Course Title in Turkish Oyuncu Mekanlar
Language of Instruction
Type of Course Lecture
Level of Course Advanced
Semester Fall
Contact Hours per Week
Lecture: 3 Recitation: - Lab: - Other: -
Estimated Student Workload 126 hours per semester
Number of Credits 5 ECTS
Grading Mode Standard Letter Grade
Pre-requisites ARC 202 - Architectural Design IV | INT 202 - Interior Design II
Co-requisites None
Expected Prior Knowledge 4 semesters of design studio
Registration Restrictions Only Undergraduate Students
Overall Educational Objective To increase one’s intellectual knowledge and design skills through gaining multi-disciplinary knowledge about children’s place in society, child development, children’s play, child-friendliness and children’s spaces by exploring, analyzing and discussing child-oriented research and architectural design practice.
Course Description This course provides basic knowledge on contemporary principles and approaches that should be effective in the design of child-friendly/playful spaces. The course has 3 modules. In the first module (Being a child), general knowledge on child's place in society, children’s physical, cognitive, emotional and social development and children’s play will be given. In the second module (Being Child-friendly), children's spaces from different geographies, having different scales and different functional features will be examined and detailed information will be given about child-friendly architectural practices and research. In the final module (Being a child in the future), students will be equipped with critical knowledge that will enable them to develop their own creative scenarios on how children's everyday spatial experiences can be enriched and how children can be seamlessly integrated with the spaces of the future.

Course Learning Outcomes and Competences

Upon successful completion of the course, the learner is expected to be able to:
1) recognize the differences between designing for kids and designing for adults;
2) comprehend the concept of child-friendliness in interior, architectural and urban design;
3) acknowledge children’s play and its impact upon children’s spaces;
4) think critically towards child-oriented architectural practice and research;
5) generate creative and critical design scenarios for children’s spaces in different spatial scales.
Program Learning Outcomes/Course Learning Outcomes 1 2 3 4 5
1) Students relate economic knowledge to other social sciences and mathematics and use it in interdisciplinary analyses.
2) Students distinguish interactions between economic fields and synthesize these distinctions.
3) Students analyze economic events by modeling microeconomic and macroeconomic theories using mathematical and statistical tools
4) Evaluate alternative theoretical approaches to solving complex economic problems and rationally apply their findings in decision-making processes
5) Analyze and compare different economic systems using quantitative techniques
6) Apply economic theoretical knowledge and models to issues related to the Turkish and global economies and design evidence-based policy recommendations
7) Analyzes economic data using econometric and statistical methods and presents the results using appropriate software programs
8) Conducts and reports on all stages of economic analysis in accordance with scientific and ethical principles
9) Effectively uses written and spoken English (at least CEFR B2 level) in scientific knowledge sharing
10) Integrates social responsibility into economic decision-making processes
11) Develops the learning competencies necessary for further studies with a high degree of autonomy

Relation to Program Outcomes and Competences

N None S Supportive H Highly Related
     
Program Outcomes and Competences Level Assessed by
1) Students relate economic knowledge to other social sciences and mathematics and use it in interdisciplinary analyses. N
2) Students distinguish interactions between economic fields and synthesize these distinctions. N
3) Students analyze economic events by modeling microeconomic and macroeconomic theories using mathematical and statistical tools N
4) Evaluate alternative theoretical approaches to solving complex economic problems and rationally apply their findings in decision-making processes N
5) Analyze and compare different economic systems using quantitative techniques N
6) Apply economic theoretical knowledge and models to issues related to the Turkish and global economies and design evidence-based policy recommendations N
7) Analyzes economic data using econometric and statistical methods and presents the results using appropriate software programs N
8) Conducts and reports on all stages of economic analysis in accordance with scientific and ethical principles H
9) Effectively uses written and spoken English (at least CEFR B2 level) in scientific knowledge sharing H
10) Integrates social responsibility into economic decision-making processes H
11) Develops the learning competencies necessary for further studies with a high degree of autonomy H
Prepared by and Date AHU SÖKMENOĞLU , August 2021
Course Coordinator AKTS1
Semester Fall
Name of Instructor

Course Contents

Week Subject
1) Introduction and General Overview to the Class + Syllabus Review Introduction to Playful Spaces
2) Children’s Place in Society
3) Child Development
4) Play and Playfulness
5) [Exploring “Playfulness”]: creative sketches/diagrams about children and play
6) Child-friendly @ Home
7) Child-friendly @ School
8) Urban Playground
9) Outdoor Play, Playscapes
10) [Designing for “Playfulness”]: creative scenarios about play @Home, School and in the City
11) Eco Perspectives for Children’s Spaces
12) Participatory Perspectives for Children’s Spaces
13) Critical Perspectives for Children’s Spaces
14) [“Playfulness” in the future]: creative and futuristic scenarios about children’s spaces
15) Final examination period
16) Final examination period
Required/Recommended ReadingsBernard Van Leer Foundation. (2019). Infant, Toddler, Caregiver-Friendly Neighbourhood (ITCN) Framework and Guidelines. https://bernardvanleer.org/publications-reports/infant-toddler-caregiver-friendly-neighbourhood-itcn-framework-and-guidelines/ Brown, F. (ed.) (2002). Playwork - Theory And Practice. Open University Press. Brown, S. (2010). Play : How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul. Penguin Publishing Group. Castella, K. (2018). Designing for Kids Creating for Playing, Learning, and Growing. Routledge Dudek, M. (2006). Children's Spaces. London: Routledge. Else, P. (2009). The Value of Play. London: Bloomsbury Gill, T. (2007). No Fear: Growing Up in a Risk-Averse Society. London: Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. Gill, T. (2021). Urban Playground: How Child-Friendly Planning and Design Can Save Cities. London: Riba Publishing. Hack Learning Series, https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B097KNHYBQ?ref_=dbs_dp_rwt_sb_tpbk&binding=paperback Hare, R. L. And Dillon, R. (2019). The Space: A Guide for Educators. Blend Education. Hudson, M. (2019). Planning Learning Spaces: A Practical Guide for Architects, Designers and School Leaders. Laurence King Publishing. Masiulanis K., Cummins E.(2017). How to Grow a Playspace: Development and Design. London: Routledge Nair, P. (2009). The Language of School Design: Design Patterns for 21st Century Schools. Education Design Architects. Nair, P. (2014). Blueprint for Tomorrow: Redesigning Schools for Student-Centered Learning, Harvard Education Press. Nair, P. (2020). Outdoor Learning: Leaving the Classroom Behind. Independently Publıshed by Association for Learning Environments. O'Donnell Wicklund Pigozzi, Peterson Mau, B. (2010). The Third Teacher: 79 Ways You Can Use Design to Transform Teaching & Learning. Abrams.
Teaching MethodsThe course will have presentations by the instructor as well as extensive discussions by the class and in-class assignments. The course follows the ‘Flipped classroom’ model, with all readings available to the students prior to class.
Homework and Projects3 Individual Projects
Laboratory Work-
Computer UseYes
Other ActivitiesIn-Class Assignments
Assessment Methods
Assessment Tools Count Weight
Homework Assignments 1 % 20
Project 1 % 40
Final Examination 1 % 40
TOTAL % 100
Course Administration ahusokmenoglu@gmail.com
-
Students are required to attend % 70 of the classes in theoretical courses. Consequently, absenteeism exceeding 4 weeks (classes) will result in failure. %70 Attendance is essential for this course. Most of the class time will be allocated to discussion of weekly topics. Students have to be prepared and upload their weekly assignments before coming to class late submissions take points off. All students are responsible for behaving personally and academically in a way that is expected from a university student. That behavior includes but is not limited to respecting views and ideas of peers; not being involved in discriminating behavior concerning race, religious beliefs, sexual orientation; always using one’s own ideas in their projects. Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism: YOK Disciplinary Regulation.

ECTS Student Workload Estimation

Activity No/Weeks Hours Calculation
No/Weeks per Semester Preparing for the Activity Spent in the Activity Itself Completing the Activity Requirements
Course Hours 14 1 3 1 70
Homework Assignments 14 4 56
Total Workload 126
Total Workload/25 5.0
ECTS 5