89105 Design Activism

This subject looks at the increasingly active role that design is playing within contemporary contexts of social critique and change. Students are introduced to the history of social activism in design, and to the particular contexts within which design activism is currently being pursued. Philosophical critiques of a human-centred conception of authorship and agency have important repercussions for the thinking of designers on their role as activists. This subject positions contemporary activism within post-humanist understandings of agency. Discussions and theoretical engagement foster critical understanding of the complex interaction of human and non-human, material and immaterial, memory, expectation, hope and experience within the unfolding social and political histories of designed things.

Typical availability

Spring semester, City campus