Course Description

How does design operate in a complex world rife with ‘wicked problems?’ This course places design and its practices under the spotlight, to critically examine the role of design over the last century, as it contributed to the intractable problems we find ourselves in today. These problems include issues like poverty, income disparity and global warming, and are referred to as ‘wicked problems,’ as they lack a definitive formula and are seemingly impossible to solve. The course raises questions about the contextual relevance of design, particularly in the global south, and its relationship to global design conversations. Students are given the opportunity to analytically position design practices in a 21st century context, and to think reflectively and critically about various design practices in order to assess the limitations and possibilities of the contributions that they can have towards social change. Discussions projecting from existing conditions to future possibilities, allow the students to speculate about future directions in design practices. The course consists of seminars with discussions, readings and presentations, along with a practice-based studio component. While the seminars look into the intellectual foundations of a transdisciplinary design practice, the studio component immerses students in a classic wicked problem, as they develop their own understanding of this new practice.