Final Project Guide, Fall 2023
FINAL PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The final project is a combined 8-10 page paper and visual portfolio that presents an
intersection of the student’s creative, practical process with the advanced research strategies
learned in this course. Students are expected to broaden the scope of their existing research
interests and aesthetics by locating specific problems or practices and generating questions that
set the (preparatory) groundwork for a senior thesis. The final project will require the
demonstrated ability to form a thesis statement which will be systematically examined through
the use of learned methodologies, critical analyses and a coherent narrative that is supported
by scholarly sources in tandem with the student’s reflexive voice. The result will be a project
that conveys a robust interpretation and articulation of the student’s ethos, proposing possible
futures for the constructed environments field (ex. product design, interior design, architecture,
integrated design strategies, etc).
OUTCOME: EVIDENCE OF RESEARCH, CRITICAL THINKING AND
DEVELOPMENT OF ONE’S CREATIVE PRACTICE
Students will be assessed on their development and demonstration of the following:
• Research Interest & Strategies: A synthesis and analysis of primary and secondary
sources as it pertains to the discovery of research interests and avenues of design practice.
Through in-class mind mapping, class discussions and isolated research, what stories can
you tell through your research? What question(s) have you developed to pursue your
research and design interest? How might your question(s), research discoveries and ethos
contribute to the field of design, based upon what already exists? What methodologies
have you engaged to substantiate your work?
• Critical thinking: Building upon substantial research (surveying history and theory as it
pertains to your research interest), this project should convey critical analysis towards
your research topic and overall project–what problem can you identify in your field that
your research (and future thesis work) seeks to resolve? What is the rationale for your
approach to design?
• Quality of Writing & Reflexive Voice: The research topic and related ideas are expressed
in an organized, informed, confident and cogent manner. An incorporation of select
images from the student’s “Image Archive” will further contextualize and articulate the
research and personal reflections put to paper. TNS Academic Standards of Integrity and
Honesty will apply towards the student’s final submission, and in the interim, it is
strongly advised that the student take advantage of the Writing Center, review how to
avoid plagiarism, understand formal citations and revise work to avoid needless
grammatical and structural errors.
FINAL PROJECT FORMAT: A GUIDELINE CHECKLIST
The final project will be submitted via canvas. The final paper must adhere to the formatting
guideline checklist listed below:
1. General Layout and Content Order
a. Cover page
b. Table of Contents
c. List of Images (at least 8 thoughtfully selected images is encouraged)
d. Introduction (roughly 3 pages in length)
i. A personal reflection of how/why you considered your research topic and
what it means to you–what do you set out to do? (roughly 1 ½ to 2 pages
in length)
ii. Literature review that covers the research, writing and general knowledge that has
already been established about your topic; this should include historical and theoretical
sources and suggest how your research can contribute to the field of design (at least 1
page in length)
iii. An explanation of your methodology–what research methods will you use (i.e.
interviews, object/visual analysis, archival visits) and perhaps what coursework has
prepared you to explore your research topic? (roughly ½ to 1 page)
e. “Chapters” or sections of content, demarcated by heading (roughly 6 pages in
length)
i. This content is largely at the discretion of the student. So long as the
project is grounded in a conceptual framework, the research and reflections
may include, but not be limited
to: a “journal” section, interviews, the descriiption of a site visit, the
historical research of a particular aspect of the topic, an object analysis,
the diary of a planned and carried-out social experiment, etc.
f. Conclusion (roughly ½ to 1 page)
g. Bibliography cited in Turabian or Chicago Style format (roughly 10 sources, 5 of
those sources a combination of history and theory)
2. Other Requirements
a. Content of the project (the writing) should be 8-10 pages in length, not
including images
b. Content pages must be typed, double-spaced in a standard 12 point font
c. 1-inch margins at top, left, right and bottom of content pages
d. Page numbers at the bottom right of all content pages
e. Footnotes at the end of each page (see chicago citation guides)
f. Images must be placed in an appendix at the end of the paper and shall be
labeled as figures (“Fig. [#]”) with a brief descriiption
In sum, your paper and presentation should demonstrate: a clear understanding of the
history of your case study and its historical context, a rigorous analysis of the project itself,
and a rigorous analysis of a text/theory (texts/theories).
3. Final Submission: Due no later than Thursday December 14th at 11:59pm EST
(via canvas)
KEY RESOURCES
• The New School Libraries & Archives
• The New School Writing Center
• Turabian, Kate. A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses and Dissertations. 7th
ed. Chicago:
University of Chicago Press, 2007.
Some useful books for finding examples of short, theoretical texts by the architects/designers who
feature in your research:
please use the presentation as reference