COURSE DESCRIPTION AND APPLICATION INFORMATION
| Course Name | Code | Semester | T+A+L (hour/week) | Type (C / O) | Local Credit | ECTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Design Politics | IND 381 | Spring | 03+00+00 | Elective | 3 | 5 |
| Academic Unit: | Industrial Design |
| Mode of Delivery: | Face to face |
| Prerequisites: | No |
| Language of Instruction: | English |
| Level of Course Unit: | Undergraduate |
| Course Coordinator: | - - |
| Course Objectives: | Exploring how design decisions are embedded with political, social, and cultural values. Students learn to critically examine existing products and systems, analyzing how they reinforce or considering their impact on diverse communities. The course emphasizes the ethical responsibilities of designers, prompting students to consider issues of accessibility, inclusivity, sustainability, and social justice in their work. Through case studies, theoretical frameworks, and practical projects, students investigate how design can be used as a tool for social change, exploring participatory design methodologies and developing interventions that address real-world problems. Ultimately, the course aims to empower future industrial designers to move beyond a purely aesthetic or functional approach, fostering a critical awareness of design's political implications and equipping them to create products and systems that contribute to a more equitable and just society. |
| Course Contents: | Political nature of design, examining how design choices shape our world and reflect power dynamics. The course begins by establishing the foundations of design and politics, debunking the myth of neutrality and exploring the historical relationship between design and political movements. Students analyze ethical dilemmas and considering the designer's role in society. The course focuses on design for inclusion and accessibility, covering universal design principles and participatory design methodologies. The course also examines the complex relationship between design, technology, and power. Finally, students explore how design can be used for activism, sustainability, and community-based projects. Throughout the course, case studies, readings, discussions, and design projects will provide students with a comprehensive understanding of design's political implications, empowering them to become critical and responsible designers who can contribute to a more equitable and just society. |
| Learning Outcomes of the Course Unit (LO): |
|
| Planned Learning Activities and Teaching Methods: | Case studies, Group Discussions, Research Papers, |
WEEKLY SUBJECTS AND RELATED PREPARATIONS
| Week | Subjects | Related Preperation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction to Design Politics | Course overview, syllabus review, and expectations. |
| 2 | Power, Design, and Social Control | Readings: Excerpts from key thinkers on power and design (e.g., Foucault, Winner). |
| 3 | Historical Context: Design and Political Movements | Discussion: How does design reflect and influence its historical context? |
| 4 | Ethical Considerations in Design | Readings: Texts on design ethics and professional responsibility. |
| 5 | Designing for Social Good | Guest speaker |
| 6 | Universal Design and Accessibility | Readings: Texts on universal design and accessibility. |
| 7 | Designing for Inclusion | Participatory design methodologies. |
| 8 | Midterm Exam | |
| 9 | Design, Technology, and Power | Texts on technology and its social implications. |
| 10 | The Politics of Data and Algorithms | Case studies: |
| 11 | Design as a Tool for Activism | Case studies |
| 12 | Design for Sustainability | Texts on sustainable design and ecological responsibility. |
| 13 | Community-Based Design Projects | Discussion |
| 14 | The Future of Design and Politics |
At Kadir Has University, a Semester is 14 weeks; The weeks 15 and 16 are reserved for final exams.
REQUIRED AND RECOMMENDED READING
| Victor Papanek, Design for the Real World: Human Ecology and Social Change (New York: Pantheon Books, 1971). Donald A. Norman, The Design of Everyday Things: Revised and Expanded Edition (New York: Basic Books, 2013). Ezio Manzini, The Design of Everyday Life (London: MIT Press, 2015) Michel Foucault, Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison (New York: Vintage, 1995) Langdon Winner, "Do Artifacts Have Politics?" in The Whale and the Reactor: A Search for Limits in an Age of High Technology Donna Haraway, "A Cyborg Manifesto: Science, Technology, and Socialist-Feminism in the Late Twentieth Century (New York: Routledge, 1991), pp. 149-181. |
OTHER COURSE RESOURCES
| Objectified (Gary Hustwit): Examines the world of industrial design. Helvetica (Gary Hustwit): Explores the story of the Helvetica typeface and its cultural significance. Urbanized (Gary Hustwit): Looks at the design of cities and urban life. The Social Dilemma: Explores the social and political implications of social media. |
ASSESSMENT METHODS AND CRITERIA
| Semester Requirements | Number | Percentage of Grade (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Attendance / Participation | 1 | 10 |
| Practice / Exercise | 3 | 10 |
| Project | 1 | 10 |
| Presentation / Jury | 1 | 20 |
| Midterms / Oral Exams / Quizes | 1 | 20 |
| Final Exam | 1 | 30 |
| Total: | 8 | 100 |
WORKLOAD
| Events | Count | Duration (Hours) | Total Workload (hour) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Course Hours | 14 | 3 | 42 |
| Practice / Exercise | 3 | 10 | 30 |
| Project | 1 | 20 | 20 |
| Preparation for Presentation / Jury | 1 | 10 | 10 |
| Midterms / Oral Exams / Quizes | 1 | 12 | 12 |
| Final Exam | 1 | 15 | 15 |
| Total Workload (hour): | 129 | ||
1 ECTS = 25 Hours Workload
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES (LO) AND PROGRAM QUALIFICATIONS (PQ)
| # | PQ1 | PQ2 | PQ3 | PQ4 | PQ5 | PQ6 | PQ7 | PQ8 | PQ9 | PQ10 | PQ11 | PQ12 |
| LO1 | ||||||||||||
| LO2 | ||||||||||||
| LO3 | ||||||||||||
| LO4 | ||||||||||||
| LO5 | ||||||||||||
| LO6 |
Contribution: 1 Low, 2 Average, 3 High