Undergraduate - UnitTAD1203 - Introduction to design history and theory

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Synopsis

This unit is about visual language and its relationship to a larger world of ideas and modes of construction. Visual language is analysed in relation to technical, aesthetic and ideological frameworks. The reasons behind stylistic developments are sought within the framework of the history of ideas, from the political and cultural to the economic. Diverse forms of art, architecture and design are analysed and evaluated to offer and appreciation for the connections between creative practise and larger processes of change. In tutorials students are given opportunities to develop visual and verbal skills for engaging in contemporary discourse on design.

Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this unit, students will be able to

1. recognise key works of design and art and place them in the appropriate social and cultural climate,
2. consider the relationships between the design, fine art and applied arts disciplines as mutually important partners in the development of visual language,
3. cultivate theoretical curiosity for the changing cultural functions of design, fine art and applied arts in the industrial period,
4. describe visual language perceptively and comment on works with critical discernment, attempting to evoke the expressive and/or ideological content of objects of design and
5. present a combination of factual and subjective arguments in an articulate and critical manner, whether spoken or written.

Assessment

Essay (1500 words): 25%
Essay (2000 words): 50%
Visual test (1 hour): 25%

Chief examiner(s)

Professor Anne Marsh

Contact hours

Two 1 hour lectures and one 1 hour tutorial and 9 independent study hours per week

Prerequisites

Admisison to a Design degree course