An ethnographic approach was used to examine the development, over 14 months, of a design curriculum for third-year architecture students. Issues concerning methods of curriculum inquiry and the formation of theory from case study data are also addressed. The major conclusion of this case study is that the teacher was the curriculum. He is described as a professional architect-turned-teacher, who planned, implemented, and analyzed a design curriculum based on his theory of design--encompassing function, structure, and aesthetics. Examples of his style in evaluating students' work are also recorded. The author feels that the ethnographic techniques used in this study--participant observation, in-depth interview, key informant data, and specimen records-- enable the researcher to understand the architect's world from the architect's point of view. This approach is recommended for other curriculum studies. (Author/GDC)