MAPD4200 Design and Culture Emneplan

Design is widely acknowledged as an increasingly interdisciplinary and complex field; designers take solving complex social and cultural issues as their domain. Issues concerning strategic planning, collaborative, participatory and human centred design require designers to adapt a broad, humanistic point of view. The aim of the course is to make design students aware of the relevance of knowledge of cultural values and meanings, and their impact on design. The course introduces strategies for integrating social responsibility, critical thinking and the use of ethnographic, generative and other design research methods for fostering awareness, reflexivity, criticality and empathy.

Admission to the Master's programme.

On successful completion of this course students are able to: 

Knowledge 

The student has:

• in-depth-knowledge about culture and its role, both from a personal and professional perspective

• knowledge of central cultural terms and cultural values
• knowledge and awareness on advanced level of cultural factors, reflexivity, criticality and empathy, and ability to value their role as crucial factors in informed design practises

Skills 

The student is able to:  

• reflect critically on the role of design in a social and cultural context 

• integrate cultural tools and theory into a design project
• challenge established perspectives and norms in the field 

General competence 

The student has a developed understanding to:

• reflect on and discuss culture sensitive design
• make use of theoretical knowledge in design research and understand its relevance to practice.

• design in a cultural context, cultural practices and cultural values.
• critical reflection, discussions and writing related to the theme and own professional   work 
• pitching your own design/research projects in the context of the course

Lectures, workshops, discussions, excursions, presentations, self-study, practical work and tutoring. 

The following required coursework must be approved before the student can take the exam: 

• participation in activities regarding your chosen specialization the 2 first weeks in the course. 
• written project description (design pitch) with a defined research aim 500-700 words.
• presentation to fellow students and teachers (10 minutes)

Individual or group assignment, which consists of: 

• a research-based design project/proposal 2500 -3500 words.

The examination result can be appealed. 

No restrictions

A grading scale of A (highest) to F (lowest) where A to E is a pass grade and F is a fail grade

Two internal. External examiner is used periodically.