Humanities Arts Cultural Stu 0181 - Object Obsessed: Design Theory

All designed objects share one thing in common--they are engineered interactions between objects and bodies. While each wholly unique, the central connection between all artistic and creative practices is the human experience. This course critiques object-centrism in design and explores the philosophical, physiological and experiential relationship between objects and bodies. This course covers topics of time/narrative, phenomenology/sensation, language, aesthetics and function through a non-disciplinary lens as a means to discuss, describe and apply a subject-centric approach to design. This course is predominantly theory-focused where students delve deep into a wide array of readings preparing for short response papers, daily discussion and short creative projects to put theories to the test. Students are expected to perform a significant amount of work outside of class time. One art/design/architecture studio course is recommended prior to taking this course.

Arts, Design, and Media Independent Work Lab fee: $50. In this course, students can generally expect to spend 8 hours weekly on work and preparation outside of class time.