Course detail

Design as a critical practice 1

FaVU-DKP1Acad. year: 2022/2023

The idea of the course is based on the practice of teachers who, within one team, deal with broad-spectrum research and the possibilities of intervention in specific localities in Slovakia and Brno, especially in the field of urbanism and housing policy. They seek a purposeful mapping of localities in their broad context of relationships which later becomes fundamental of possible development scenarios and the subsequent design and facilitation of steps leading to their fulfilment.

An interdisciplinary methodology is needed for this purpose, which combines design, social science and forensic approaches. Teachers have a background in fine arts, design, architecture, and related theories, as well as in social anthropology.

Through data collection and analysis, they will identify opportunities, links and problems in given localities. The obtained data will serve not only to improve the study competencies of course participants, but also the life situation of the actors in selected localities, although it would only be a theoretical improvement at the level of proposals. The course combines theoretical and practical components in design, as well as the reflexivity of design and design practice and its specific tools (e.g. gamification).

Key areas we will touch upon in the course:

- current theories and methodologies of social science and design research

- research ethics

- forensic practice (e.g. Forensic Architecture)

- design theory (HCD, critical and speculative design)

- design practice (proposal of possible development scenarios in the localities in question and steps towards their fulfilment)

- spatial analysis and visualisation of "big" data (work in the geographic information system ArcGIS)

- field research / intervention

Language of instruction

Czech

Number of ECTS credits

Mode of study

Not applicable.

Guarantor

MgA. Martina Růžičková, Ph.D.

Department

Department of Art History and Theory (KTDU)

Learning outcomes of the course unit

After completing the course, students should be able to critically think about the nuances of data creation in the field. They should be able to set their own as well as group practice goals and to plan their implementation.

Prerequisites

The course aims for the active participation of students, their participation in the field activities and in a group project. A prerequisite is therefore an interest in field work as well as in design and forensic practice.

Co-requisites

Not applicable.

Planned learning activities and teaching methods

An interdisciplinary nature of the course will be also mirrored in the plurality of teaching methods. Teaching will be in the form of lectures, seminars, exercises - implementation of group projects in the field - and consultations.

Assesment methods and criteria linked to learning outcomes

The following conditions are set for granting the credit: attendance (85%), presentation of an ongoing group project. Students will be given a verbal formative assessment.

Course curriculum

1. Introduction. Division into groups.

2. Theory and methods of interdisciplinary research. Discussion of research topics in relation to

current design methodologies, forensic practice, and qualitative methods.

3. Intensive entry into the field.

4. Analysis of feasibility, relevance, needs in topics of each group respectively.

5. Breakdown of design challenges into partial steps. Division of competencies in groups.

6. Implementation of partial steps in the field.

7. Reflections and consultations on the first implementation with the teachers of the course.

Work placements

Not applicable.

Aims

The aim of the course is to introduce students to the nature and ethics of qualitative research and field practice, methods of forensic mapping and contemporary design theory, which they will be able to try on model cases in practice in specific localities.

At the beginning of the winter semester, students will be divided into project groups. The aim of the lessons in the winter semester is to introduce the basic principles of field research and design methods. During the semester, students should develop a concept and time schedule for their respective group projects, which would be then implemented in certain field circumstances.

Specification of controlled education, way of implementation and compensation for absences

Teaching takes place in a) premises of the CAR (room No. 334, U2, FaVU) b) selected (residential) localities. The minimum attendance is 85%.

Recommended optional programme components

Not applicable.

Prerequisites and corequisites

Not applicable.

Basic literature

Not applicable.

Recommended reading

Bratton, Benjamin. 2016. The Stack: On Software and Sovereignty. Cambridge: The MIT Press.
Creswell, John W. a Cheryl N. Poth. 2018. Qualitative inquiry & research design: choosing among five approaches. Los Angeles: SAGE.
Delamont, Sara and Paul Atkinson. The Ethics of Ethnography. In: Iphofen, Ron and Martin Tolich. 2018. The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Research Ethics. SAGE Publications Ltd.
Easterling, Keller. 2014. Extrastatecraft: The Power of Infrastructure Space. London: Verso.
Easterling, Keller. 2018. Medium Design. Moscow: Strelka Press.
Escobar, Arturo. 2018. Designs for the Pluriverse. Radical Interdependence, Autonomy, and the Making of Worlds. Durham: Duke University Press.
Fry, Tony. 2017. Remaking Cities. An Introduction to Urban Metrofitting. London: Bloomsbury.
Grove, Kevin. 2018. Resilience. London: Routledge.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/291368904_Towards_a_Critique_of_Social_Innovation
kollektiv orangotango+. (2018). This is not an atlas: a global collection of counter-cartographies(First edition). Bielefeld: Transcript. Dostupné z: https://www.transcript-verlag.de/shopMedia/openaccess/pdf/oa9783839445198.pdf
Paez, Roger. 2019. Operative Mapping. New York: Actar Publishers.
Srinivas, Nidhi. 2015. Towards a Critique of Social Innovation. Academy of Management Annual Meeting Proceedings 1. Dostupné z:
Walz, Steffen P. & Sebastian Deterding (Eds.). 2015. The Gameful World: Approaches, Issues, Applications. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Weizman, Eyal. 2017. Forensic Architecture Violence at the Threshold of Detectability. Cambridge: The MIT Press.

Classification of course in study plans

Programme VUB Bachelor's
branch VU-D , 3 year of study, winter semester, elective
branch VU-D , 4 year of study, winter semester, elective
branch VU-IDT , 3 year of study, winter semester, elective
branch VU-IDT , 4 year of study, winter semester, elective
branch VU-VT , 3 year of study, winter semester, elective
branch VU-VT , 4 year of study, winter semester, elective
branch VU-VT , 3 year of study, winter semester, elective
branch VU-VT , 4 year of study, winter semester, elective
branch VU-VT , 3 year of study, winter semester, elective
branch VU-VT , 4 year of study, winter semester, elective
branch VU-VT , 3 year of study, winter semester, elective
branch VU-VT , 4 year of study, winter semester, elective
branch VU-IDT , 3 year of study, winter semester, elective
branch VU-IDT , 4 year of study, winter semester, elective
branch VU-IDT , 3 year of study, winter semester, elective
branch VU-IDT , 4 year of study, winter semester, elective
branch VU-IDT , 3 year of study, winter semester, elective
branch VU-IDT , 4 year of study, winter semester, elective
branch VU-IDT , 3 year of study, winter semester, elective
branch VU-IDT , 4 year of study, winter semester, elective
branch VU-VT , 3 year of study, winter semester, elective
branch VU-VT , 4 year of study, winter semester, elective
branch VU-D , 3 year of study, winter semester, elective
branch VU-D , 4 year of study, winter semester, elective
branch VU-VT , 3 year of study, winter semester, elective
branch VU-VT , 4 year of study, winter semester, elective
branch VU-IDT , 3 year of study, winter semester, elective
branch VU-IDT , 4 year of study, winter semester, elective
branch VU-D , 3 year of study, winter semester, elective
branch VU-D , 4 year of study, winter semester, elective
branch VU-IDT , 3 year of study, winter semester, elective
branch VU-IDT , 4 year of study, winter semester, elective
Programme VUM Master's
branch VU-IDT , 1 year of study, winter semester, elective
branch VU-IDT , 2 year of study, winter semester, elective
branch VU-IDT , 1 year of study, winter semester, elective
branch VU-IDT , 2 year of study, winter semester, elective
branch VU-D , 1 year of study, winter semester, elective
branch VU-D , 2 year of study, winter semester, elective
branch VU-D , 1 year of study, winter semester, elective
branch VU-D , 2 year of study, winter semester, elective
branch VU-VT , 1 year of study, winter semester, elective
branch VU-VT , 2 year of study, winter semester, elective
branch VU-VT , 1 year of study, winter semester, elective
branch VU-VT , 2 year of study, winter semester, elective
branch VU-D , 1 year of study, winter semester, elective
branch VU-D , 2 year of study, winter semester, elective
branch VU-IDT , 1 year of study, winter semester, elective
branch VU-IDT , 2 year of study, winter semester, elective
branch VU-VT , 1 year of study, winter semester, elective
branch VU-VT , 2 year of study, winter semester, elective
branch VU-VT , 1 year of study, winter semester, elective
branch VU-VT , 2 year of study, winter semester, elective
branch VU-IDT , 1 year of study, winter semester, elective
branch VU-IDT , 2 year of study, winter semester, elective
branch VU-VT , 1 year of study, winter semester, elective
branch VU-VT , 2 year of study, winter semester, elective
branch VU-IDT , 1 year of study, winter semester, elective
branch VU-IDT , 2 year of study, winter semester, elective
branch VU-IDT , 1 year of study, winter semester, elective
branch VU-IDT , 2 year of study, winter semester, elective
branch VU-IDT , 1 year of study, winter semester, elective
branch VU-IDT , 2 year of study, winter semester, elective
branch VU-VT , 1 year of study, winter semester, elective
branch VU-VT , 2 year of study, winter semester, elective