Situated and speculative sensing: multisensory exploration of environments
International students
International students
About the course
Sensory modalities such as smell and sound are ways in which we experience and understand our surroundings. This course uses embodied and digital methods to explore urban and natural environments through sensory-based, multidisciplinary strategies of mapping, speculating, and understanding.
Course content
Students will engage with a range of theoretical frameworks and artistic practices that foreground the role of the senses – such as sound and smell – in perceiving and interpreting space. The course introduces hybrid methodologies that combine traditional fieldwork with participant-oriented approaches and data-driven techniques.
Core activities include sensory walks (e.g., soundwalking, smellwalking), experimental mapping exercises, and engagement with electronic sensor systems for environmental sensing. Students will be encouraged to explore diverse environments – from urban landscapes and post-industrial sites to nature reserves – while reflecting on themes such as nature connectedness and the temporal dimensions of place.
The course emphasises methodological experimentation and critical reflection, offering students the opportunity to develop their own sensory mapping projects in response to specific environments.
Entry requirements and selection
Entry requirements
60 higher education credits, and English 6
Selection
34% Upper Secondary Grades - 34% Swedish Scholastic Aptitude Test (SweSAT) - 32% University Credits
Course literature
Current literature list is available in the syllabus for the course
Course evaluation
Malmö University provides students who participate in, or who have completed a course, with the opportunity to express their opinions and describe their experiences of the course by completing a course evaluation administered by the University. The University will compile and summarise the results of course evaluations. The University will also inform participants of the results and any decisions relating to measures taken in response to the course evaluations. The results will be made available to the students (HF 1:14).
