Critical Pedagogy and Architectural Education

Abstract

Combining insights from the sociology and political economy of the professions with several more recent analyses of canon formation, this article provides a critique of the transmission model of education which currently dominates architectural training. The transmission model is criticized for its tendency to portray students as passive and homogeneous professional subjects removed from social and political forces. An alternative model of educational practice, informed by theories of critical pedagogy, is considered. Critical pedagogy provides insights into how the existing framework of architectural education might be challenged, permitting the development of a more democratic learning environment informed by competing interpretations, alternative histories, and a new range of situated political issues.