Course syllabus

Course PM (version 1.0 June 18th)

DIT002 Design Fiction - how to read, create and use it, Summer course 2020 (4 hp).

This is the course PM for the course Design Fiction. Make sure that you read it through carefully since most essential information is written down here.

Course is offered by the department of Computer Science and Engineering

Contact details

Schedule

The schedule is available here: Schedule.

Note that course introduction is June 22nd, 10:00. Link will be posted under Schedule.

Course literature

The course literature is listed here: Literature.

Course purpose

Interested in using fiction and storytelling to come up with great design ideas? This course offers a broad perspective on the use of design fiction as support to the exploration of design solutions by challenging the conventional assumptions connected to functionality of artefacts. You will learn to work with written narratives, but also other visual media forms. Design fiction helps you to look beyond the immediate and leads to a wider interpretation of design in society, interpreting and exploring its cultural and ethic role. Speculative and critical design will be introduced as incitement to reflection and as a theoretical support to the creation of imagined futures. Examples of a variety of design fictions will be analysed and discussed in groups. The examination involves written and media production assignments informed by group discussions and literature seminars.

Additional information

The course is run fully online. The participant is expected to have a computer with microphone and camera (for video meetings).

Language of instruction

The course is given in English (if all attending students understand Swedish, we will switch to Swedish).

Changes made since the last occasion

This is the first run of this course.

A few important advices

  • Remember… that it is mandatory to take part in the lectures, regardless of whether they are live or recorded.
  • Remember… attending seminars and supervision via video conference is simple, but you have to make sure in advance that the technology works. You have to test the technology before you attend the first seminar online, and you have to attend every seminar in time. It usually takes a few minutes to set-up the technology and log-in. If you experience technical problems after the seminar have started there will be no time to help you, and you might miss the whole seminar.
  • Remember… attending a course online is not less work than attending on campus. Don’t fall behind. We all have a tendency to be late, to hand-in just before deadline, to postpone. But, attending the course will be so much easier if you stay ahead of the game. Start early watching the lectures. Start immediately planning your project. Hit the ground… running.
  • Remember… have lots of fun and ask loads of questions!

Canvas, Slack and communication

A highly important aspect of all courses, especially distance courses, is how we communicate. Misunderstandings could lead to messages that remain unread, and other issues. Therefore, we specify our means of communication according the following.

The course uses the learning management system Canvas (canvas.gu.se), which you will get access to when you have registered. Make sure to initially check all content in the Canvas course room, and then during the course check the course room as well as the Slack workspace every day, as all essential updates you need will be available there.

  • Slack – we will use the communication platform Slack during the course. General discussions or problems of interest for everyone is brought up here, as well as tips and recommendations, and just fun things. Try to use the correct channels for different topics. New from course management will be posted on Slack.
  • E-mail – When urgent and/or important messages are posted at Slack, we also send out an e-mail to you via Canvas. Personal issues are brought up via private e-mail directly the examiner or teacher.

Studying at a distance

Studying at a distance - as we do on this course - often require a different kind of self-discipline than in regular courses. Many have started a distance learning as "time-optimists" in the belief that distance education is something you can handle on the side of the other commitments you have. However, as a student it may sometimes appear difficult to find time to study. Expect that you should preferably spend at least a full day on the course, every week during the summer. Remember that the online tools Canvas and Slack is the central hubs in this course. The few times we meet in real-time via video (in Zoom) is important to make the most out of.

Summary of what is expected from you in this course

In short, this is what is expected of you as a student. Note that the project is expected to take about a third of the course time, so prepare to spend about five workdays completing the final project.

  • Attending the course introduction
  • Watching recorded lectures
  • Preparing for seminars by reading all the assigned literature
  • Participating in seminars (two out of three)
  • Attending supervision, either via Slack or Zoom
  • Complete all exercises
  • Completing the final project, including hand-ins and presentations (pitch, half-time and final)
  • Fill out the course evaluation

Note that in the course room at Canvas there is a tool called Grades that helps you keep track of your progress.

If you miss a seminar or project presentation, please contact examiner thommy@chalmers.se.

Supervision

We strongly advise you to attend the supervision. The supervision is there to lift your project and your skills. It is not a judgment or evaluation. The “judgment” will come when you have completed your project and hand it in. Think about it – it is usually the good designer that asks a lot of questions! The supervision can be about details or general questions, about creative issues or technical problems. Anything that has to do with movie making.

There are three kinds of supervision:

  • Office hours via video meeting in Zoom. You can drop by and ask any question to our teachers and/or TA’s
  • Contact one of the course TA’s (Yacintha and Sjoerd) for a video meeting via Zoom
  • Ask a question on Slack

Seminars

Seminars will give you the chance to discuss design fiction within a specific context, with a starting point from the seminar literature, lectures and examples published in each module in Canvas. Participation in the seminars is mandatory. It is important that you read and watch the related content before the seminar. In the bi-weekly folders at Canvas you can see which content that you need to take part in before each seminar.

Seminars become what we make of it together. In a seminar we first have an input (reading literature, watching lectures), then we discuss that and give our own personal reflections, our own output. We together, teachers and students, take on the responsibility to create an interesting discussion.

The seminar takes 90 minutes. It starts with a short introduction by the teacher, and then the group is split up into smaller break-out groups. You discuss the topic in these groups, and two participants are assigned to take notes. After a short break, a new set of groups ate formed, and the discussion continues. The notes are then after the seminar submitted in Canvas. Notes should be minimum 200 words, maximum 900 words.

The online versions of the seminars are arranged as desktop video conferences. We will use the system Zoom, at https://chalmers.zoom.us/my/lithiumflower.

  • Update your display name with your full name
  • You must enter the seminar on time, preferably 5-10 minutes in advance
  • You should use headphones (to ensure good audio quality for everyone)
  • Please attend with video
  • If you need to type on your keyboard or do other things during the seminar, turn of (mute) your microphone

The following is an excerpt from the official course syllabus (kursplan). The official syllabus is here: Course syllabus

Learning objectives and syllabus

On successful completion of the course the student will be able to:

Knowledge and understanding

  • describe and characterize different genres of design fiction
  • discuss different positions along a continuum from fiction written for dramatic and artistic purposes, to fiction written for design purposes
  • give examples of design fiction in different media formats, and its use

Competence and skills

  • write and in other ways produce design fiction with both an artistic and an utilitarian, design-oriented purpose
  • analyze and discuss the design fiction created by others
  • draw conclusions from design fiction and use them in a design context 

Judgement and approach

  • discuss when design fiction can be used and when it should not be used

Course content

Different genres of design fiction, and its use in different media such as literature, movies, games and concept art. Methods for writing, analysing and using design fiction. Evaluation methods for analyzing design fiction. Sub-courses Form of teaching The theoretical content of the course is aquired via literature and recorded lectures, which then is dicsussed at literature seminars. The participants write and produce several pieces of design fiction themselves, in different media formats, which is then refined collaboratively via peer assessment and literature seminars. A final design fiction text is then submitted as final project result, along with a reflective essay.

Form of teaching

The theoretical content of the course is acquired via literature and recorded lectures, which then is discussed at literature seminars. The participants write and produce several pieces of design fiction themselves, in different media formats, which is then refined collaboratively via peer assessment and literature seminars. A final design fiction text is then submitted as final project result, along with a reflective essay. 

Examination form

The grade is based on whether the learning outcomes of the course are demonstrated in the produced design fiction work.

A student who has taken two exams in a course or part of a course without obtaining a pass grade is entitled to the nomination of another examiner. The student needs to contact the department for a new examiner, preferably in writing, and this should be approved by the department unless there are special reasons to the contrary (Chapter 6 Section 22 of the Higher Education Ordinance). If a student has received a recommendation from the University of Gothenburg for special educational support, where it is compatible with the learning outcomes of the course and provided that no unreasonable resources are required, the examiner may decide to allow the student to sit an adjusted exam or alternative form of assessment.

In the event that a course has ceased or undergone major changes, students are to be guaranteed at least three examination sessions (including the ordinary examination session) over a period of at least one year, but no more than two years, after the course has ceased/been changed. The same applies to placements and professional placements (VFU), although this is restricted to just one additional examination session.

Grades

The grading scale comprises: Pass (G) and Fail (U)

Course evaluation

Now that your course is over we would really appreciate if you could fill in the course evaluation that was sent to your gus-email.

Your feedback is very important. Please do your part by filling out evaluations for all your courses in a constructive, helpful spirit.

Course summary:

Date Details Due