Politics of Design
Prof. Langdon Winner
STSS-4350
Tues. & Fri., 10-11:50, Lally 102,
Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute, Spring 2004
Dept. of Science and Technology
Studies
Office hours: Friday.
12-1:30 in Sage 5709
tel: x8498; email:
winner@rpi.edu
This
class studies the relationship of the design of useful artifacts to the quality
of social and political life. Our
inquiries are interdisciplinary, blending materials and approaches from social
science, philosophy, engineering, industrial design, architecture, urban
planning, and information systems.
We
begin with the recognition that the world in which we live is, to a large
extent, the product of deliberate planning and construction. The built forms that surround us strongly
condition our actions, experiences, and sense of personal and collective
possibilities. Relevant forms include
material things: buildings, towns and cities, tools, instruments, technological
systems, and other furnishings of everyday life. But other significant forms include such
intangible "things" as patterns in social rules, roles,
relationships, institutions and political constitutions. For our purposes the concept of
"design" includes the deliberately chosen, enduring forms of both material
and intangible entities that affect human relations.
Goals. Our
purpose is to explore (1) social, cultural and political origins of the designs
we find around us; (2) ways in which political ideas are represented in
design; (3) how design affects people's orientation toward power, authority and
freedom; (4) how an understanding of the significance of design might influence
future attempts (especially your own) to build humane, sustainable, democratic
structures to aid human activity.
Required
readings: These are for sale in the campus
bookstore.
James
Howard Kunstler, GEOGRAPHY OF NOWHERE
Jonathan
M. Woodham, TWENTIETH CENTURY DESIGN
Other
readings: Additional required articles and book chapters
are indicated on the syllabus. Please
note that other readings not listed here may be assigned as the course
proceeds. These will announced in class
and will be posted on the updated syllabus on Mr. Winner=s web page: http://www.rpi.edu/~winner/PolDesign04.htm
Meetings. We will
meet twice a week. Everyone should come
to class fully prepared to discuss the readings assigned for that week and
their own ideas about them. Regular,
active participation is required and is an important part of your grade. All of the written and project work in the
class will feed directly into course presentations and discussions, enabling
you to join the instructor in the process of educating the group. The classroom is organized in round table
fashion with plenty of media capability.
We will use these facilities to enhance our deliberations.
Weekly writing. Each week you will have the opportunity to
clarify and express your ideas on three written pages: (1) one page for each
session on the readings for that day and (2) one page on the design exercise
for the week (due each Friday). These
writings should be thoughtful, neat and legible. But they do not have to be literary
masterpieces. The point it to make sure
you keep up with readings and ideas, making sure that when asked about the
readings (which I will do) you will have interesting things to say to the
group. These weekly writings will be
collected at the end of class on Friday, although you should also bring you
notes on the reading for the Tuesday session as well. Absolutely
no email submissions of papers.
1. Reflections on the readings. Write only one page, single-spaced (no more)
that shows me your response to the ideas and issues in the readings for that
session. Your writing should identify
one key passage from the readings that you would be prepared to quote and
discuss in class. In addition you should
be ready to articulate one question or issue that the readings bring to mind,
something that you=d like the group as a
whole to consider.
2. Weekly design exercise. To supplement your reading, each week will
include a design exercise to be done outside of class. This can involve observing a site, solving a
problem, making a sketch, taking photographs, writing your observations about a
particular aspect of design and social life.
Assignments will be given at the end of class on Friday and are due the
following Friday. (If your design
exercise includes illustrations or photos, it can be longer than just one page;
the one page is for your written passages only.). The second half of each Friday session
will be devoted to discussion of the design exercise.
Helping lead a discussion. For each session, students will help lead
the seminar – two students on Tuesday, one on Friday. Serving in this role is a requirement of the
class. Those selected for each session
will be relieved of the responsibility for writing requirements for that entire
week. Regard this as a modest
public performance. How well you serve in this role will be graded and
will be a significant part of your participation grade. Students will prepare the following:
(1)
Tuesdays and Fridays: one student will prepare a 4-5 minute long thoughtful
summary that highlights themes in the readings for the session, identifying one
or two important issues for discussion in open session or in breakout, round
table groups;
(2)
Tuesdays only: a critical commentary on
ideas for that session, sometimes focused on of web-based materials related to
the topic for the day, presented in a brief talk to the group (for example,
discussion of web sites on the new urbanism, green design, etc.), fielding
questions about the material. The
purpose here is to look briefly at the state of the debate about key
developments beyond the books and articles we’re reading.
Term project.
The most important, piece of work you will do in the course is a term
project on an aspect of the social and political dimensions of design that
you find interesting. Working in a team
with two other persons, you will propose a topic for study, conduct the
research and present it. Team projects must
reflect solid teamwork in quantity and quality C shared effort, attention to deadlines, good
organization and communication outside of class, care in the writing and
illustrations in your final product.
Sample topics for projects will be distributed early in the term.
Your
project will be presented in (1) a 20 minute oral summary to the seminar at the end of the term and (2)
a paper roughly 15-20 pages double-spaced, typewritten (with drawings and
photos, if appropriate) to be submitted the last day of class. All students in the team will receive the
same grade for the project. [Note: We
may need to schedule an extra session for the oral presentations.]
Project Timeline. You should begin thinking about the membership
of your team right away, talking with students in the
class who you think might be good partners.
Written proposals for your term project – specifying topic, team
membership, goals, research plan, and division of labor -- should be submitted
on Friday, Feb. 20. The week of March 15
after spring break, each group should arrange to meet with me to discuss the
progress of their work. Class time for
April 9 will be devoted to consultations on term projects; everyone must
attend. All groups should be ready to
present their findings beginning Friday, April 16.
Grades. Your
grade will be determined by:
(1)
attendance in class, active participation in
discussion, 30%;
(2)
weekly writings, 30%;
(3)
term paper, its steady progress during the term and
oral presentation -- 40%. No late work
of any kind will be accepted (unless you have a legitimate excuse – illness,
job interview, or family emergency). You
may miss any two daily sessions and/or daily written assignments without
penalty; if you miss more than that, your grade will plummet.
The
weekly papers on the readings and design exercises will be graded very simply
as follows:
3
– excellent ; 2 – good; 1 – needs to improve; 0 –
rotten or missed assignment.
Email
of papers is not permitted. Bring papers
them to class and place them in the folder provided each Friday.
Office
hours: Friday, 12-1:30 and by appointment (email is
the best way to arrange these).
Other
materials on the Web:
As the course moves along some course writings and illustrations will appear on
Prof. Winner=s Web page.
Academic
integrity: All work submitted must be your own. If you borrow ideas or information of any
kind (which is always essential to learning and creativity), please just give a
clear reference to the original source.
This is easily done and will be a good habit to cultivate. Evidence of plagiarism, borrowing materials
or ideas without credit as well as other forms of cheating will be dealt with
severely – a grade of “F” for the course.
********************************
Week
I:
Tuesday,
January 13
(a)
Discussion of aims of the course and introduction of students, their
backgrounds and interests.
(b) In class design exercise: ADesign a social/material
setting for a...@
Friday,
January 16: American in built form – patterns of dwelling
Chs. 1, 2, 3
First design exercise distributed in class
Week
II:
Tuesday,
January 20:
Friday, January 23: Homes, autos and communities
Week
III:
Tuesday,
January 27: New urbanism -- promise and pitfalls
Video: AThe Truman Show@ (brief selection)
And browse freely in these selections
“The New Urbanism: An alternative to modern,
automobile-
oriented planning and
development, by Robert Steuteville:
http://www.newurbannews.com/AboutNewUrbanism.html
Disney’s Celebration,
http://www.abfla.com/1tocf/disney/celebration.html
“Flying High,” article
on
http://www.builderonline.com/article-builder.asp?channelID=59&ArticleType=1&ArticleID=1000029356
“A Critique of New Urbanism,” by Peter Gordon
and Harry W. Richardson:
http://www-rcf.usc.edu/~pgordon/urbanism.html#I
Friday,
January 30: Urban/suburban alternatives
1.
“The tale of
http://www.christiania.org/info2/
“Tour of
http://www.christiania.org/tour/640index.html
http://vibeke.schou.dk/denmark/copenhagen/christiania.html
http://www.christianiabikes.com/english/uk_main.htm
(click on
“About us” and “Products”
“End is nigh for the commune that kept hippie
dream alive,”
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,1111171,00.html
2. Cohousing
History of Cohousing:
“Where it Al Began,” by Danny Milman
http://www.cohousing.org/resources/library/history.html
Cohousing in
http://www.communitarian.net/cohonet/denmark/tour.html
Cohousing
http://www.cohousing.org/cmty/groups-us.html
Cantine’s
http://cantinesisland.home.att.net/
3. Smart
growth and anti-sprawl
About smart growth: smart growth principles
http://www.smartgrowth.org/about/default.asp
One approach: traffic calming (see some specific
ideas here)
http://www.trafficcalming.org/
Opposition to smart growth: “Sprawl by Any Other
Name,” by Anne Marie Cox
http://www.motherjones.com/news/update/2003/08/we_530_01.html
Week
IV:
Tuesday,
February 3: Shaping the object world –
history of industrial design
Friday,
February 6: Modernism, consumerism and
social control
You are what you buy?
http://www.sharperimagebest.com/new-products.html
Week
V:
Tuesday,
February 10: Global economy and personal
identity
Friday,
February 13: The brand expands
Naomi Klein, No Logo, Chapters 2 and 10,
digital library reserve
Week
VI:
Tuesday,
February 17 (no class because of President’s Day rescheduling)
Friday,
February 20: Oppression and liberation
Read a selection of the materials
below
“Design Anarchy,” by Kalle Lasn
http://adbusters.org/campaigns/first/toolbox/designanarchy/1.html
Adbusters: Creative Resistance
http://adbusters.org/creativeresistance/jamgallery/
Adbusters: First Things First
campaign
http://adbusters.org/campaigns/first/
“First
Things First Manifesto 2000”
http://adbusters.org/campaigns/first/toolbox/signup/
“First Things First Manifesto – A Brief
History,” by Rick Poynor
http://adbusters.org/campaigns/first/toolbox/history.html
“True Cost Design:
http://adbusters.org/magazine/37/truecost/
How to Design the Perfect Product, interview
with Craig Vogel and Jonathan Cagan
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/60/chalktalk.html
Week
VII:
Tuesday,
February 24: Technological design and
gender politics
Friday,
February 27
Film, “Koyaanisqatsi,” directed by Godfrey Reggio,
music by Phillip Glass. [Note: Godfrey Reggio will
be visiting campus this term to present all three of the films in the “Qatsi” series.
Students in this class will attend and write about this as a required
design exercise. Details
to follow.]
Week
VIII:
Tuesday,
March 2:
Visiting presentation by Prof. Kate
Boyer
Friday,
March 5 (No class. Use the rest of this
week to work on your term projects.)
Week
IX: Spring Break
Week
X:
Tuesday,
March 16: What is good design?
Friday,
March 19: What is good design? (continued)
Week
XI:
Tuesday,
March 23: Creating and destroying public
space
and pp. 194-197 (on reserve)
The birthplace of democracy: the agora of
ancient
Map of the agora
http://plato-dialogues.org/tools/agora.htm
Photos of the agora today
http://www.culture.gr/2/21/211/21101a/e211aa03.html
Friday,
March 26: Colin Beech: Design theory
Week
XII:
Tuesday,
March 30: Public cyberspace –
participation or propaganda?
Critically scrutinize these political web sites: (any selection from among these
and any others of your choice)
Friday,
April 2: A successful design movement:
people with disabilities
http://www.lib.rpi.edu//dept/library/reserves/IHSS/IHSS197201/1.pdf
http://www.abilitycenter.org/webtools/links/factsheets/edrobertsconversation.html
Week
XIII:
Tuesday, April 6: Another design movement: sustainability and green design
Centre for Design, Australia (browse materials in sections on sustainable products
and
systems, buildings and life cycle assessments)
(an article in three
parts)
http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/98oct/industry.htm
Friday,
April 9: Consultations on student
projects
Week
XIV:
Tuesday,
April 13: Global empire,
community and conflict
“The Wal-Mart You Don’t Know,” by
Charles Fishman
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/77/walmart.html
“
http://www.corpwatch.org/news/PND.jsp?articleid=90
“Big Brother Comes to Wal-Mart,” by Mary Starrett
http://auctionknowhow.com/articles/wmart.shtml
"Wal-Mart opens wallet in effort to fix its
image," by
Constance L. Hays
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/08/14/BU185832.DTL
Anti-Wal-Mart groups (browse within this site as
you wish)
List of towns that have successfully resisted
the “big box”
http://www.sprawl-busters.com/victoryz.html
Friday,
April 16: Student presentations
Week
XV:
Tuesday,
April 20: Student presentations
Friday,
April 23: Student presentations
Week
XVI:
Tuesday, April 27 (last day of class): Student presentations.
Term papers are due at the end of class today.
*******************************
AWe build our buildings, then
they build us.@
C Winston Churchill