Program Overview

Course Overview

The Advanced Landscape Architecture History and Theory course, LAND 451, aims to provide students with the ability to engage with key disciplinary design issues through a critical introduction to contemporary and emerging urban and landscape architectural design.

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:
  • Tuesday 9:30am
  • Friday 9:30am
• Campus: Te Aro
• Estimated Workload: Approximately 150 hours or 8.8 hours per week for 17 weeks
• Points: 15

Entry Restrictions

• Prerequisites: LAND 251
• Corequisites: None
• Restrictions: None

Course Objectives

Students who pass this course should be able to:

1. Articulate key landscape architectural practices and ways of thinking through writing, presentation, and discussion.
2. Analyse how landscapes function socially and experientially.
3. Locate and critique contemporary landscape architecture design practice and thinking within social, cultural, and theoretical contexts.
4. Communicate ideas about contemporary practice and thought.

How the Course is Taught

• Delivered in person and on campus
• Field trips require in-person attendance
• Teaching and learning are delivered through a 2-hour seminar session plus a 2-hour fieldwork session per week
• Classes include group discussion of a weekly set of readings as well as associated topics and presentations by the lecturer, tutor, or guests

Assessment

• Fieldwork: Including weekly preparatory fieldwork tasks and image and text analysis of one landscape (35%)
• Weekly Seminar-Related Writing: (45%)
• Seminar Presentation: (20%)

Mandatory Requirements

There are no mandatory requirements for this course.

What You'll Need to Get

• Audio recording device for recording seminar and fieldwork discussions
• A digital camera or phone with camera for fieldwork
• Relevant pens and pencils
• A3 landscape format hardboard clipboard for marking up plans and drawing on site
• Appropriate clothing and footwear to suit weather conditions
• A sketchbook
  otebook for fieldwork, drawing, and note-taking

Course Outline

This course outline may be subject to change.

Key Dates

Find important dates, including mid-trimester teaching breaks, on the University's key dates calendar. Assessment dates will be provided once the course has begun.