Social Studies of Design

Our contemporary world is populated by carefully designed objects, spaces, services and experiences. More or less interactive material and digital interfaces, visual displays, technical devices and architectural envelopes have a profound effect on how we live and think, on how we engage in relationships, on our everyday habits, and on our hopes and aspirations. This module introduces students to an in-detail analysis of design culture and its effects, paying attention to the practices of conception, marketization and use in order to understand the impact of these material devices in contemporary societies.

Through theoretical discussions and qualitative case studies, we would like to address these key questions: How do designers conceive, fabricate, commoditize and circulate their products and projects? What are the organizational, spatial and economic processes affecting or bringing to life different forms of design practice and making relevant different roles for designers? How are users imagined, figured and incorporated in design practice? How can we analyse artefacts, devices, and displays, and how can we intervene in design culture?

Courses in this area include:

The Politics of Urban Planning and Design - WS 16/17

Museums and the Politics of Display - WS 15/16