Program Overview

Course Overview

The course SARC 402, also known as Prison Architecture: Buildings, Policy and Representation, examines the built and non-built aspects of prisons, including architectural history, policy, and cultural images of prisons.

Course Details

• Dates: 23 February 2026 to 21 June 2026
• Starts: Trimester 1
• Fees:
  • NZ$1,376.40 for domestic students
  • NZ$6,048.90 for international students
• Lecture Start Times: Wednesday 9.30am
• Campus: Te Aro
• Estimated Workload: Approximately 150 hours or 8.8 hours per week for 17 weeks
• Points: 15 points

Entry Restrictions

• Prerequisites: SARC 223, SARC 352
• Corequisites: None
• Restrictions: Students who have already passed SARC 302, 368 or 468 in 2016, 2017, 2019, or SARC 328 or 428 in 2020 cannot take this course

Course Objectives

Students who pass this course should be able to:

1. Analyse principles underpinning the historical development of prison environments.
2. Analyse principles relating prison environments to public policy.
3. Critically reflect on the representation of the designed environment in prison policy with reference to the various media used.

How the Course is Taught

• Tutorials are delivered in-person.
• Lecture recordings will be made available.

Assessment

• Test (in-class or online, 50 mins): 15%
• Digital model and essay (2,000 words): 50%
• Essay (2,500 words) and drawings (as necessary): 35%

Mandatory Requirements

There are no mandatory requirements for this course.

Group Work

Group work details to be advised.

Lecture Times and Rooms

• 23 February 2026 to 12 April 2026
• 27 April 2026 to 31 May 2026

What You'll Need to Get

Students will need to provide all materials and equipment as necessary for the completion of course work.

Course Coordinator

Christine McCarthy

Past Versions of this Course

Older versions of this course may be accessible through the course archive.

Student Feedback

Previous students' feedback on this course can be found in the student feedback database.