Course Information
RCAH 192: Proseminar in Design for Social Good
T/Th 10:20-11:40 am
C201 Snyder Hall
Course Website
http://rcah192.weebly.com
Professor
Dr. Megan K. Halpern
[email protected]
Office Hours
Monday 10:00am to 12:00pm
C320E Snyder Hall
T/Th 10:20-11:40 am
C201 Snyder Hall
Course Website
http://rcah192.weebly.com
Professor
Dr. Megan K. Halpern
[email protected]
Office Hours
Monday 10:00am to 12:00pm
C320E Snyder Hall
Materials
Most of the readings for this class will be available as e-books or PDFs through D2L. Some of our required reading will be from DiSalvo, C. (2015). Adversarial Design. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, which should be purchased, though it is also available as an e-book.
*Students should expect to purchase some materials for generating design projects. It is unlikely these expenses will exceed $25.
*Students should expect to purchase some materials for generating design projects. It is unlikely these expenses will exceed $25.
Description
This course is an introduction to design, design thinking, and design research as well as an exploration of what it means to create something that has positive social impact. Many high profile design projects that attempt to do good, like One Laptop Per Child, fall short. Where did these well funded and well intended ideas go wrong? In this course, students will learn the basic principles of design (with a focus specifically, though on exclusively, on technology and interaction design) as well as strategies and methods for engaging with users drawn from user centered design, co-design, and reflective design practices. Throughout the course students will engage in critical thinking about the roles of designers and users, the social and ethical implications of technologies and designed objects, and the larger contexts in which these objects and users exist. Coursework will include a mixture of readings, design exercises, case studies, and a final group project in which students will examine their own college and building to find opportunities for socially motivated design.
Purpose and Overview
The course will introduce students to the seminar format. Class discussion will revolve around a set of core readings that are canonical in critical/reflective, participatory, and interactive design fields. While much of the material is drawn from interaction design, discussion will cover a broad range of design spaces.
The course is divided into three sections: Design Practice, Engaging with Users and Other Participants, and Topics in Design for Social Good. The first section will be aimed at thinking and talking about design and values, as well as building comfort and familiarity with mixing visual and written modes of communication and developing design ideas. The second section will focus on methods for engaging stakeholders in the design process, and the final section will provide a bit more information about topics like design activism and speculative fiction.
The course is divided into three sections: Design Practice, Engaging with Users and Other Participants, and Topics in Design for Social Good. The first section will be aimed at thinking and talking about design and values, as well as building comfort and familiarity with mixing visual and written modes of communication and developing design ideas. The second section will focus on methods for engaging stakeholders in the design process, and the final section will provide a bit more information about topics like design activism and speculative fiction.
Learning Goals
Students will:
- Gain experience in the kind of reading, thinking, discussion, and writing necessary in a seminar format
- Engage in discussions about complex issues in design and social impact, especially with respect to the ways values (and politics, and power structures) are built into the design process, and the implications of those values
- Become familiar with and gain experience using a variety of design strategies and methods to develop and communicate design ideas
- Employ a variety of methods to understand users and stakeholders in design projects and to incorporate their wants, needs, and ideas into the design process