Foundations of Social Design

This 1st semester course aims to introduce you to the changing role of the designer towards tackling complex social issues. It focuses on enhancing your understanding of social design both through theoretical readings and through concrete project work.

During the course you are asked to reflect on and situate your design disciplines into the field of social design, through your project work and/or exercises.

The course also aims to improve your capabilities in design anthropology and stakeholder involvement, since understanding the different stakeholders/actors, their needs and challenges, is fundamental and pivotal to integrate into design projects in Design for People. Stakeholder involvement also contains a concentration on how to use design skills to engage with the field and people as an approach to collect and interpret data about a design challenge. You are thereby asked to create artefacts to engage with people and collect data from the field.

The course includes collaboration with UNG i Aarhus- youth clubs in the city of Aarhus, where you identify challenges, which can either improve the everyday life of the children or the neighbourhood where the clubs are situated as a whole.