MDC5340 Design research studio 4
Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture
MDC5340 Design research studio 4 is a level 5, 18-credit-point, postgraduate unit from the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture, offered in 2026 in Semester 1 and Semester 2 at Caulfield. It needs MDC5240.
- Credit points
- 18
- Offered in 2026
- Semester 1, Semester 2
- Caulfield
- Assessment
- No exam
- 1 task
This is the 2026 handbook entry. See the 2027 entry.
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Requisites
Before MDC5340
Corequisites
Pass these before, or take them in the same semester.
Prerequisites
Pass these before you enrol.
Prohibitions
You can't enrol if you have passed any of these.
- MDC4001Design project (part 1)
- MDC4002Design project (part 2)
- MDC5001Design project (part 3)
After MDC5340
No unit lists MDC5340 as a prerequisite in the 2026 handbook.
Enrolment rules
You must be enrolled in the Master of Design (F6002).
Overview
In this capstone unit, you will develop a project that addresses a complex problem and propose innovative design solutions using advanced research methods. By adopting a reflective approach, you will critically assess the effectiveness of your solutions while refining your collaborative and technical skills, assessing project constraints and deliverables, and effectively communicating and defending your design outcomes. Upon completion, you will realise a unique, individualised, and sophisticated design solution while considering the social, cultural, and ethical impacts of your work on stakeholders.
Offerings in 2026
| Teaching period | Campus | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| First semester | Caulfield | Blended |
| Second semester | Caulfield | Blended |
Assessment
- Single Project/FolioProject100%
Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.
Learning outcomes
When you finish this unit, you should be able to:
- 1
Define a problem or opportunity and use advanced design theories, concepts, and research methods, to establish achievable goals and outcomes;
- 2
Apply design research methods and processes to develop and propose innovative solutions to address evolving design challenges that respond to advances in knowledge within the discipline;
- 3
Integrate advanced research methodologies to analyse, synthesise, and evaluate your design process, demonstrating a deep understanding of the problem or opportunity;
- 4
Assess the needs, deliverables, and constraints of your project, while demonstrating an understanding of the social, cultural, and ethical impact of design on your stakeholders;
- 5
Evaluate the efficacy of your own design concepts and research, demonstrating critical thinking and reflective skills within the context of relevant industry;
- 6
Effectively communicate and defend your design process, methodologies and solutions through the critical integration of emerging trends, tools, and technologies shaping the field of design.
Workload and teaching
- Studio activities96 hours
- Teaching approachActive learning
- Teaching approachPeer assisted learning
36 hours per week including 9 contact hours plus 27 hours of independent study.
Learning resources
Required resources
Kwon, Miwon. "One Place after Another: Notes on Site Specificity ." October no. 80 (Spring 1997): 85-110
Carolee Thea ,On curating: Interviews with Ten International Curators, Published by d.a.p
Jorg Heiser, All of a Sudden: Things That Matter in Contemporary Art., USA, 2008
Pitch Your Own Tent: Art Projects/Store 5, Monash University Museum of Art, 2005
Art Monthly is a national, monthly publication committed to representing all Australian states and territories to a local, national and international audience.
Stephen Henry Madoff (ed.), Art School (propositions for the 21st Century)
RealTime is a free national arts tabloid focusing on visual arts, performance, dance, film, digital media and screen culture.
Hal Foster, Rosalind Krauss, Yve-Alain Bois, Benjamin H D Buchloh. Art since 1900. London, 2004.
Armen Avanessian and Andreas Topfer, Speculative Drawing, USA, 2014 Martha Buskirk, The Contingent Object of Contemporary Art. USA, 2005
Discipline is a Melbourne-based publisher and contemporary art journal edited by Nicholas Croggon, David Homewood, and Helen Hughes. It has a focus on longer, research-based essays, interviews and artist pages.
Paula Marincola (ed.) What makes a great exhibition? Questions of Practice, Philadelphia Exhibitions Initiative
Art Almanac is the essential guide to Australia’s art galleries -a monthly magazine listing art galleries, museums, dealers, artists, exhibitions, prizes and visual arts events Australia-wide.
Joseph Kosuth, Art after Philosophy and After, Collected Writings, MIT, 1991
Australian visual arts-based blogspot, discussing NSW-based exhibitions and issues relating to contemporary artists.
Hans Ulrich Obrist, Interviews: Volume 1, Published by Charta, Milan
Arts Hub is the online home for Australian arts workers, providing news, job lists, discussions and artsblogs for its subscribers.
Peter Weibel, Gregor Jansen, Andreas Beitin, Dietmar Elger, and Friedrich Kittler, Light Art from Artificial Light: Light as a Medium in the Art of the 20th and 21st Centuries, Germany, 2006
Artlink covers contemporary art in Australia and provides a context for evaluation and analysis. It regularly produces special issues on specific areas, and undertakes major theme- based features.
Frieze D/E http://frieze-magazin.de Discipline http://www.discipline.net.au
Australian photo-based art magazine focusing on contemporary practice and produced by the Australian Centre for Photography
Anne Goldstein and Anne Rorimer, Reconsidering the Object of Art: 1965-1975. USA, 1995
O’Doherty, Brian. Inside the White Cube: Notes on the Gallery Space http://www.societyofcontrol.com/whitecube /insidewc.htm or Santa Monica, CA : Lapis Press, 1986. Or Art Forum 1976
Contacts
- Chief Examiners
- Mr Dave Trickey
- Unit Coordinators
- Mr Dave Trickey