Topic outline

  • Welcome to Master's studies at the Department of Design!


    INTRO is a compulsory course for all first year Master students at the Department of Design. 

    This year the course consists of two parts:

    1. an intensive week during 30.8-2.9.2022 (online) and 
    2. six weekly sessions on Monday afternoons 5.9.- 10.10. (campus)

    You are welcome to join the course if you are now starting your Master's studies at Department of Design (and your BA studies are almost finished). Please try to enrol in SISU, but you can join even if that has not yet been possible.  Zoom link for Tuesday 30th (9:15-12)

    The course clarifies the offering, pedagogies and mindset of the master studies in design and prepares the students for the shift in the study objectives from undergraduate to master studies. Contact teaching and assignments structure students' learning about their own goals and orientations in design, and in relation to future societal needs. Personal study plans will be discussed in majors/programs during the course. As a startup to ongoing studies, the course aims to create peer networks across majors and programs at the Department. The course is one of the four joint courses compulsory for all MA students at the Department of Design.

    The intensive part of the course (Orientation Week) is scheduled so that students are able to participate in the ARTS and Department of Design orientations parallelly (see Intensive week schedule) 

    Preliminary programme for Monday afternoons:

    • 5th September 13:15 -17: Organised by programmes/majors 
    • 12th September 13:15-17 Designs for a Cooler Planet exhibitions at Otaniemi campus 
    • 19th September 13:15-17 Life after studies
    • 26th September 13:15-17 Being part of a respectful and inclusive community
    • 3rd October 13:15-17 Self-management and wellbeing
    • 10th October 13:15-17 Organised by programmes/majors

    Locations:

    • The intensive week will be fully online via Zoom. 
    • The weekly sessions will be run predominantly face-to-face.


    Learning outcomes:

    After completing INTRO, students

    • recognize characteristics of master-level education, including pedagogical approaches and study contents at the Department of Design
    • understand the wider and future societal context of design, including contemporary issues and emerging challenges
    • reflect on their own professional interests within collaborative work


    Workload: 3 ECTS is equal to an 81-hour workload
    Evaluation: pass / fail

    The evaluation is based on the participation in contact teaching sessions and the contribution to individual and group tasks.

    Passing the course requires attending 80% of contact teaching sessions. Absence during contact teaching may be made up by completing an agreed-upon assignment with the teacher. Students unable to meet the required level of attendance (acceptable reasons are those exceptional circumstances such as health or residence issues) should contact the teacher as soon as possible in advance to explain the situation and discuss completion.


    Tasks

    The course has several individual and group tasks to be completed during the course. Tasks are described in detail in the Tasks section. 

    Readings

    Some of the course tasks are based on course readings; you can find them in the Course Readings section. You are required to read one of the readings by 9:00 on Wednesday, August 31, 2022.

    Zoom link

    The zoom link is visible to the students enrolled in the course. Please contact the course teachers if you have trouble accessing the link.


    Teachers:

    • Professor: Pirjo Kääriäinen pirjo.kaariainen@aalto.fi
    • Teacher: Emilija Veselova emilija.veselova@aalto.fi
    • Teaching assistant: Zhang Shuaijun shuaijun.zhang@aalto.fi