Syllabus

LEARNING OUTCOMES

After the completion of the course, students will:

• Understand the principles of sustainability in product, service and system design;
• Be able to approach sufficiency and sustainable consumption and production with design;
• Be able to assess and argue for design solutions for sustainability.

Credits: 6

Schedule: 07.01.2025 - 13.02.2025

Teacher in charge (valid for whole curriculum period):

Teacher in charge (applies in this implementation): Tatu Marttila

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

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:

  The course introduces the topic areas of design for sustainability and frameworks, including product-service-systems, service design and material circulation. It situates these design strategies in the overall landscape of escalating levels of consumption, and develops design approaches to mitigate these trends. Each topic is approached via lectures, readings and through a group work assignment that continues throughout the course.

Assessment Methods and Criteria

• valid for whole curriculum period:

  Course contents consist of weekly lectures, readings and related assignments. The course also includes a group exercise. To pass, the students are required to attend the lectures (80%) and perform all the assigned exercises, readings and written tasks given each week.

  Assessment methods and criteria:

  • Individual writing tasks 30%
  • Active presence at the course platforms, activity log 20%
  • Group assignments, final and intermediary reports 40%
  • Peer evaluation in groups 10%

Workload

• valid for whole curriculum period:

  Overall workload 6 ECTS = 162 hours. Completion of the course requires 80% participation and project work in groups.

  • Lectures, and class-room exercises, 36 hrs
  • Project work in groups, 50 hrs
  • Reading course literature and related writing tasks (learning diary), 50 hrs
  • Feedback and participation outside classroom, 10 hrs
  • Personal reflection 16 hrs

DETAILS

Study Material

• valid for whole curriculum period:

  1. Ceschin, G & Gaziulusoy, I (2019). Design for Sustainability: A Multi-level Framework from Products to Socio-technical Systems. Routledge. 

  2. Selected other readings

  Provided in MyCourses.

Substitutes for Courses

• valid for whole curriculum period:

  Substitutes for Courses

Prerequisites

• valid for whole curriculum period:

  Prerequisites

SDG: Sustainable Development Goals

9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

11 Sustainable Cities and Communities

12 Responsible Production and Consumption

13 Climate Action

FURTHER INFORMATION

Further Information

• valid for whole curriculum period:

  Teaching Language: English

  Teaching Period: 2024-2025 Spring III
  2025-2026 Spring III

  Registration:

  Registration in Sisu. Minimum number of students 30, maximum 60.

  The order of priority for admitting students:

  1. Creative Sustainability major students;
  2. Creative Sustainability minor students;
  3. Department of Design masters students;
  4. Students for whom the course is part of his/her major's or programme's alternative studies and has been scheduled in the student's PSP (HOPS) for the current academic year;
  5. All other master students

   

Description