81521 Envisioning Futures
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particular session, location and mode of offering is the authoritative source
of all information about the subject for that offering. Required texts, recommended texts and references in particular are likely to change. Students will be provided with a subject outline once they enrol in the subject.
Subject handbook information prior to 2025 is available in the Archives.
Credit points: 6 cp
Result type: Grade and marks
Requisite(s): 40 credit points of completed study in spk(s): STM90839 Core subjects (Creative Intelligence and Innovation)
There are course requisites for this subject. See access conditions.
Description
This subject invites students to explore emerging cutting-edge ideas, existing foresight practices and future scenarios and encourages them to articulate original, well-informed future visions. Students engage in critical inquiry, examining assumptions that underpin contemporary innovation and research agendas to identify preferable future trajectories from a range of perspectives. Students are challenged to explore the generative nature of innovation, inspiration and learning in the context of imagined future worlds. The subject exposes students to a range of engagement modes, encouraging creative and experimental approaches to expression and communication, and culminates in a public event where audiences interact with student-envisioned futures.
Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
Upon successful completion of this subject students should be able to:
| 1. | Identify and evaluate significant drivers of change, future opportunities, and assumptions by using disciplinary perspectives, evidence, and diverse viewpoints. |
|---|---|
| 2. | Identify, create and employ a range of appropriate futures-thinking methods, methodologies and theory to generate transformative possibilities |
| 3. | Practice creative, reflexive and responsible value creation, by engaging ethically with diverse individual and social values, standpoints, knowledges and worldviews, including one’s own |
| 4. | Create compelling, coherent and imaginative alternative future scenarios and articulate implications using appropriate modalities |
Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)
This subject contributes specifically to the development of the following course intended learning outcomes:
- Identify and evaluate complex challenges by analysing system dynamics, constraints, and potential leverage points, using disciplinary perspectives, evidence, and diverse viewpoints. (CII.1.1)
- Identify, create, and employ a range of appropriate creative intelligence methods and boundary-crossing methodologies to construct and solve problems and generate transformative possibilities (CII.2.1)
- Practice mutual, responsible value creation, including the implementation of sustainable and entrepreneurial innovation. (CII.3.1)
- Communicate transdisciplinary ideas and solutions succinctly and persuasively using appropriate modalities. (CII.3.2)
Contribution to the development of graduate attributes
The subject provides opportunities for you as a student to draw on diverse disciplinary perspectives through self-directed and collaborative enquiry, conducted across a range of disciplinary and professional fields into cutting-edge research and innovation. You identify and evaluate future trends and utilise a range of futuring approaches and methods to design an original transdisciplinary vision of a future. In doing this you examine paradoxes and ethical dilemmas implicit in current innovation agendas and practices and articulate their own agency in creating desirable futures. Finally, the subject challenges you to experiment with expressing and communicating complex ideas via a public event, where audiences interact with a student-envisioned future.
So your experiences as a student in this subject support you to develop the following graduate attributes (GA):
- GA1 Holistic analysis
- GA2 Transformative creativity
- GA3 Action orientation and TD experimentation
- GA4 Contextual and self-awareness
- GA5 IGA: UTS graduates will have knowledge of Indigenous Australian contexts to inform their capability to work effectively for and with Indigenous Australians within their profession
Teaching and learning strategies
Learning will take place in a collaborative, immersive, experiential, studio-based environment. This subject is enquiry-based: students will conduct individual preparatory research and exploration, which will form the basis for collaborative discovery and interactive learning activities in class. Students will also learn from academics, invited industry professionals and peers across a wide range of disciplines. Staff, peers and invited experts will give formative feedback continually through class activities as students develop their future-oriented projects.
Content (topics)
- Futures thinking – concepts, frameworks and methods
- Multi-scalar spatiotemporal dimensions of the present
- Experimentation with different media and modes of engagement
Assessment
Assessment task 1: Creative Horizon Scanning
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses the following subject learning objectives: 1, 2, 3 and 4 This assessment task contributes to the development of course intended learning outcome(s): CII.1.1, CII.2.1, CII.3.1 and CII.3.2 |
|---|---|
| Type: | Report |
| Groupwork: | Group, individually assessed |
| Weight: | 40% |
| Length: | 1500 words |
Assessment task 2: Experiential Futures
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses the following subject learning objectives: 1, 3 and 4 This assessment task contributes to the development of course intended learning outcome(s): CII.1.1, CII.3.1 and CII.3.2 |
|---|---|
| Type: | Project |
| Groupwork: | Group, group assessed |
| Weight: | 30% |
Assessment task 3: What if...?
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses the following subject learning objectives: 2 and 3 This assessment task contributes to the development of course intended learning outcome(s): CII.2.1 and CII.3.1 |
|---|---|
| Type: | Reflection |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 30% |
Minimum requirements
Students must attempt each assessment task and achieve an overall pass mark in order to pass this subject.
Late penalties apply to all assessment tasks as outlined in the TD School Student Guide. Please consult this booklet for other useful information including Special Consideration, Plagiarism, Extension, and Student Support Services.
A minimum of 80% of attendance of classes (as outlined in the timetable) is required.
Recommended texts
See Canvas for list of recommended texts