Please note! Course description is confirmed for two academic years, which means that in general, e.g. Learning outcomes, assessment methods and key content stays unchanged. However, via course syllabus, it is possible to specify or change the course execution in each realization of the course, such as how the contact sessions are organized, assessment methods weighted or materials used.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

On successful completion of this course, you will be able to:

- evaluate the criteria of critical thinking in your own design practice

- relate aspects of your design practice in a wider intellectual discourse

- consider the careful balance between practice and theory in your work

- recognise your rights and responsibilities as a professional practitioner in the design field, and beyond

- produce text describing and framing your own design approach

- create an initial collection of your work and your critical writing

- develop first ideas of your master's thesis

- continue to keep track of your own position and development as a designer

Credits: 9

Schedule: 02.11.2021 - 27.05.2022

Teacher in charge (valid for whole curriculum period):

Teacher in charge (applies in this implementation): Arja Karhumaa

Contact information for the course (applies in this implementation):

Anni Puolakka
annipuolakka@protonmail.com
/ anni.i.puolakka@aalto.fi
Phone: +358 50 527 3123

Tommi Vasko

tommivasko@protonmail.com / tommi.vasko@aalto.fi
Phone: +358 50 360 0864

CEFR level (valid for whole curriculum period):

Language of instruction and studies (applies in this implementation):

Teaching language: English. Languages of study attainment: English

CONTENT, ASSESSMENT AND WORKLOAD

Content
  • valid for whole curriculum period:

    This seminar course acts as a core of your first year studies: it introduces you to the learning community at VCD as a space to reflect and develop your own design practice. By way of lectures, presentations, readings, and discussion, critical thought is introduced as means to recognize normative ways of being in the world, and to imagine alternative ones. Classes aim to delineate existing, emerging, and potential modes of sustainable practice within communication design. The focus is in peer learning as you work towards situating your practice both individually and together with others.

     

    The seminar consists of four modules:

    Period II/Module 1, Theory: You begin by positioning your own work within critical thought and contemporary theory relevant to visual communication design. According to your interests, you start building a framework of references in areas such as science and technology studies, decolonial and feminist theory, sustainability transitions, and public sociology, and learn to understand how these are connected, and how they can inform your own design practice.

    Period III/Module 2, Work: You are introduced to professional skills and methods necessary for a sustainable design practice. You gather knowledge in working and funding models for sustainable practice, intellectual property rights,  good policies in time and project management, precarity and work life balance, and your responsibilities of care towards yourself, your colleagues, the public, and the environment.

    Period IV/Module 3, Archive (done independently): You learn to develop your understanding of your practice by writing, documenting, annotating, and archiving your work. You start gathering your work and your writing  towards a collection which will ultimately perform the duties of a diary, a sandbox, a laboratory, a storage, a library, a publication, a portfolio, and an archive, all according to need.

    Period V/Module 4, Thesis Camp: At the end of the semester, a three-day retreat will introduce you to the notion of research and help you synthesize your work and ideas into a thesis topic, and develop it in collaboration with others.

Assessment Methods and Criteria
  • valid for whole curriculum period:

    Good attendance, course assignments, and submitted archive collection.

    Partial credits (3 6 ECTS) only available for exchange students.

  • applies in this implementation

    • Discussions and assignments. Successful completion of the course requires 80 % attendance in class and that all writing exercises are completed and approved. 

    • Applies in this implementation:
      The course is evaluated in scale 1-5 based. 50 % of the evaluation is based on participation both as an active speaker and listener in class discussions. The other 50 % regards the writing and other assignments. 

    • In order to pass the course, the student has to 

      - be present on at least 80 % of class hours

      - read the provided texts

      - submit all the assignments on time


    If any of these aspects are missing at the end of the course, the student must contact the course leader.




Workload
  • valid for whole curriculum period:

    93 h contact, 150 h independent work

DETAILS

Study Material
  • valid for whole curriculum period:

    Study materials are provided in the beginning of the course.

Substitutes for Courses
Prerequisites
SDG: Sustainable Development Goals

    5 Gender Equality

    10 Reduced Inequality

    12 Responsible Production and Consumption

FURTHER INFORMATION

Further Information
  • valid for whole curriculum period:

    Teaching Period:

    2020-2021 Autumn II-Spring V

    2021-2022 Autumn II-Spring V

    Course Homepage: https://mycourses.aalto.fi/course/search.php?search=DOM-E2004

    Registration for Courses: Sisu replaces Oodi on 9 August, 2021. Priority order to courses is according to the order of priority decided by the Academic committee for School of Arts, Design and Architecture: https://www.aalto.fi/en/services/registering-to-courses-and-the-order-of-priority-in-aalto-arts