Postgraduate - UnitTAD4542 - Research seminar in design

This unit entry is for students who completed this unit in 2012 only. For students planning to study the unit, please refer to the unit indexes in the the current edition of the Handbook. If you have any queries contact the managing faculty for your course or area of study.

print version

6 points, SCA Band 1, 0.125 EFTSL

Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered, or view unit timetables.

Level	Postgraduate
Faculty	Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture
Offered	Caulfield Second semester 2012 (Day)
Coordinator(s)	Dr Jen Butler

Synopsis

Discussions are thematically structured by topics in contemporary theory. Designs are considered in relation to social issues; and students are expected to outline the place that their designs occupy in the continuum of design evolution and social critique. Critical attention is given to the methodological factors that might influence how the project is steered, and an evaluation of the social values and interests associated with the intentions behind the project.

Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, students will:

have a secure grasp of certain key concepts in contemporary theory which have particular bearing on their field of design;
be keen to relate the terms of their practice to broader discourses;
be able candidly to identify the values in their projects, especially related to gender, class and ethnicity and consider the possible case against the assumptions of their practice;
be keen to practice criticism in small forums, considering and conjecturing how aesthetic standards (such as style and taste) are the expression of non-absolute cultural values, and identifying critical questions of other people's practice;
be equipped to sustain an exegetical defence of their work and its placement in current visual production;
be equipped to outline the investigative and creative steps taken in the design process and have a critical understanding of how the chosen method fits alongside other paradigms of art, design and social inquiry.