MAPD5900 Master's Project in Product Design Course description

The Master's Project in Product Design is a comprehensive and independent practical and theoretical in-depth piece of work where the student(s) choose a relevant research question to explore. Students should demonstrate insights, analytical thinking, and critical reflection towards existing and their own design practice and research, theories within the field of study, and methods found relevant to apply within the overall framework of the study.

The chosen topic for the master's project should be explored in a way that acknowledges and addresses the discovered complexity. The work should produce sustainable and well-argued design concepts or results that contribute to the development of the field of product design. Guidelines for master's theses at the Faculty can be found here: Retningslinjer for masteroppgaver ved Fakultet for teknologi, kunst og design - Student - minside (oslomet.no).

To be eligible to write a master's thesis, all courses from the first year of the program must be successfully completed.

After completing the course, the student is expected to have achieved the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

The student

• has in-depth knowledge of the chosen research topic with a through grounding in the fields of design
• has in-depth knowledge about and know how to use relevant design methods and scientific methods in an ethical way

Skills

The student

• can plan and carry out a comprehensive independent and adequate confined research project
• can facilitate and lead creative activities as part of a design process
• can collect, analyze and critically reflect and discuss relevant sources of information
• is capable to justify, argue and reflect on decisions adequately and competently
• is capable to communicate well-argued and documented findings and results through text, visualizations and products
• can argue and explain the results societal positions within the chosen field of study

General competence

The student

• is capable to relate their design process to professional research ethics and sustainable value creation
• is capable to critically reflect upon their process and role in relation to achievement and results
• is capable to collaborate and involve resource persons in their research

The most important teaching and learning methods for this course are individual work, group work and individual and group tutoring. Students are encouraged to form colloquia groups and establish collaborations with external resource persons and communities. There will be arranged workshops and/or seminars during the course period.

The master`s project can be carried out individually or through collaboration between 2 or 3 students.

On successful completion of the course, the student has acquired the following learning outcomes classified as knowledge, skills and general competencies.

Knowledge The student can

• identify different dimensions and interpretations of the terms «sustainability», «sustainable development», «the Anthropocene» and "the Capitalocene";
• discuss explanations of the present situation of "unsustainable development", and its historical background;
• identify the range of approaches and history behind sustainability transitions, such as doughnut economics, ecomodernism/green growth, degrowth, and the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Skills The student can

• reflect critically on the main strengths and weaknesses of frameworks for sustainability transitions in the context of countries both in the Global North and South, as well as in the relation between the North and South;
• identify political and economic impediments to sustainability transitions in the contemporary world.

General competenciesThe student

• has obtained a basic competence to critically examine, discuss and take part in democratic decision making and action regarding choices of sustainability transitions;
• has obtained a basic competence to identify "greenwashing", "green colonialism" and other types of unjustifiable claims of sustainability transition.

There will be lectures and teacher-led seminars. Students are expected to participate actively in group work and discussions during seminars.

Activities with compulsory attendance

It is compulsory to attend the seminars. These are considered essential for developing skills and general competence, as they give the students the opportunity to verbalize, analyze and discuss key issues of the course. The group work on which the seminars are based require that most students are present.

Students with undocumented absence from more than 25 % of these seminars cannot take the exam. Students who have attended less than 75 % of the seminars, but can document valid compelling reasons for all the absences, will have to submit a written paper on a given theme as compensation in order to be able to take the exam. The length of the paper shall be in the range of 2,000-5,000 words, depending on the number of seminars missed.

Students shall also take part in online discussions on topics from the course. Each student is required to post at least four contributions of a minimum of 50-100 words each. Taking part in an online discussion of the course contents ensures the active involvement of the students with the issues the course deals with, and thus enhances learning. Information on deadlines for posting and questions to respond to will be given at the start of the course. If a deadline is not met, the student will be given a new deadline. However, unless all four posts have been posted by the last lecture/seminar (whichever comes last), the student cannot take the exam.

The course is assessed on the basis of an individual written home exam over 96 hours, with a scope of 2,500 words +/- 10 %.

Resit/rescheduled exam:

Resit/rescheduled exam is organised in the same way as the ordinary exam.

All aids are permitted, as long as the rules for source referencing are complied with.