PhD Table of Contents Symposium aims to examine the different routes of research undertaken at the AA by focusing on not what the research is, but how the research is formulated. In literature, the significance of the table of contents is that it is a ubiquitous mode of sequencing thoughts, processes, and working methods. It reflects how the diverse elements of what is about to follow are associated, simultaneously reflecting on how the author’s thought processes are structured. The symposium will reflect on the phasing of work, and the role that the table of contents plays in organizing ideas, methods, and texts. AA PhD researchers will open the discussion on how doctoral research genres currently undertaken at the AA are conducted through presenting the table of contents of their research rather than the content of the research. Presentations and discussions aim to expand on and celebrate the methodological diversity that predominantly defines contemporary architectural research.

The event is organised as three approach-based sessions, each of which will be followed by a roundtable discussion set between the doctoral students, teaching staff, and the audience.

Session 1 - Repository-based Research: a form of investigation of original records identified, located, and interpreted in archives, libraries, etc.

Session 2 - Field-based Research: a form of place-based investigation of events or sites conducted in-situ.

Session 3 - Studio-based Research: a form of practice-based investigation conducted in a hands-on environment such as laboratories, etc.