Aims and Fit of Module

As the world (culture) changes and adapts to expanded and alternative agendas, the design professions are required to reflect and adjust their positions and strategies. As such, the industrial design profession has been in a constant state of dynamic transition for over a hundred years.


This module aims to provide students with an understanding of the discourses and theoretical positions which designers and others have adopted in the intellectual and practical aspects of their professional lives. The module will allow students opportunities to reflect and critique those positions and to find evidence about the impact of those ideas. Using the work of designers and the objects they create, students will develop their product literacy and their ability to explain the existence of certain product forms, types and expressions.

Learning outcomes

A. Describe and critically analyse a range of discourses and theoretical positions which relate to design practice.

B. Use case studies of designers and designed artifacts as evidence of impact of key theories and ideas.

C. Develop and apply methods for finding, reading and critical evaluation of academic and other sources.

D. Learn and apply skills in visual and object analysis to convey the narrative and meaning of key artifacts.

Method of teaching and learning

This module is delivered in a combination of mostly lectures and tutorials for key ideas and follow up sessions. To support key assessments, and to embed research reading and analytical skills, group and individual tutorials will be used.