Course syllabus
General course info - Note that this course has its first in-class course activity September 19.
Welcome to the The Design Studies course, which is taken by students in all three design master programs at HDK-Valand (Design; Child culture design; and Embedded design), and is given by teachers active in all of these programs.
The course gives insight to main concepts and discourses in design. It considers design theory and practice generically without giving preference to one specialism and draws from the full spectrum of design, while bearing in mind the interests and focus of the three programs.
It provides an overview of a number of main historical and contemporary concepts, discourses, and phenomena in and beyond design. It further aims to open for critical examination of designing as a mode of acting in the world, and thus how design affects and is affected by the world around us.
From this perspective, design shifts from an individually creative expression towards an embedded, entangled and situated practice that makes certain values, norms, and relations visible while making others invisible. The course discusses the stated capacity of design as a speculative activity and a means for configuring innovative futures in an expanded field of societal development. However, this expansion of design into other fields and spaces of intervention not traditionally seen as subjects of design, demands that we simultaneously critically rethink the epistemologies, assumptions and frameworks of design, and critically reflect on its ability to deal with complex conditions.
Through the course we address complex contemporary issues (e.g. environmental degradation), whilst also acknowledging how historical flaws continue to shape the world. It provides with theories, concepts, and methods to think about these issues, including questions like; From whose perspective certain activities emerge, are legitimized or overlooked? Whose perspective, agency and knowledge should be considered and/or prioritized in design? And what kind of designer one can or should become in order to respond to contemporary concerns?
Through a combination of thematic lectures, readings, collective discussions, and individual writing and mapping, the course offers a space for critical and constructive reflection on the meaning and role of design, and of our own practices as designers. Thus it feeds into the students parallel courses, as it enables reflection on projects and design activities in these.
The course looks at design and designing through four themes, which are tightly interlinked and connected to major global societal challenges that current and future designers are to address. The themes are;
Politics, Practices and Publics
Environment, Ecological and Climate Challenges
Economies: Organizing, Valuating and Working
Materialities and Experimental Aesthetics
Main course activities
We start with an introductory session that explains the course layout and introduces the concept of Design Studies. As part of the introduction we will get an introduction to the library and how to search for information. There is also a bonus lecture by the faculty Dean, Associate professor Henric Benesch who will talk about methodology and methods in design.
We then go through each of the four themes. Each theme is organized around individual reading of texts, discussions with your peers in self-organized student meetings, a theme lecture, and a teacher led discussion seminar. Here we divide the group in smaller mixed program groups, with students from all three programs, for enabling fruitful discussions.
To finalize the course we provide a writing-workshop aimed to give support for the final assignment. The workshop includes a lecture on how to appraoch writing, as well as a lecture on how one can grapple with the critical theories we come across in design research, and how these can be seen as a constructive tool for enhancing our practice.
The course contains two submissions, as well as it is based on your active participation in lectures and seminars.
Make use of Canvas for detailed information on course activities and assignments.
Don´t hesitate to contact course responsible Helena Kraff if if you have any overarching course related questions, or your seminar leader for question regarding work in the seminar groups.
Student Portal
In the Student Portal you will find information that is good to know as a new student.
Register for your course
To confirm your place on the course, you need to register. It is only when you have registered that you are considered a student on the course and can access all course material in Canvas.
Register for the course in Ladok. Registration is open 26-29 August 2024. If you do not register in time, you will lose your place on the course.
Contact
If you have questions about registration, please contact Student Affairs: admission@hdk-valand.gu.se.
For questions about the course contcent and layout, please contact the course responsible teacher.
Schedule
The course schedule is available in TimeEdit.
Note that the course schedule is preliminary up to two weeks before the course starts.
Course Syllabus and Reading List
Find the course syllabus and reading list in search tool for syllabi and reading lists
If the reading list is not available in the search function, it will be available here.
Study Counselling
If you have questions about your studies, educational support, approved study leave, entry requirements, etc. you are welcome to contact the study counsellor at HDK-Valand Britta Fernell Foufa, studievagledning@hdk-valand.gu.se. Find more information about Study Guidance at the University of Gothenburg on the Student Portal.
Student Health
It is important that you are feeling well and that you feel that you can manage your studies. You can contact the student health service and there are also various resources that you can use on your own. Read more about student health in the Student Portal.