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Design and Society

Fall 2008, 161B (main class), 164B (mentor sessions)


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Holiday blogs:

Melissa Nguyen (external link) | Samuel Collins (external link) | Mary Bickers (external link) | Richie Nguyen (external link) | My Thach (external link) | Kyra Maples (external link) | Quoc Ngo (external link) | Taylor Smith | Kelsie Uehara (external link) | Jami Mersch

News and updates:

  • Dec 6: See final bridge grades below. Please note that I will use the points (not the letter grade) to calculate your final grade.
  • Dec 4: Next term's class will have a separate page. Happy Holidays!! santa
  • Dec 4: Please hold off buying the Collapse book until I post further instructions.
  • Dec 4: I've learned today that by far not everybody had a physics class in high school. Please tell me next time if you don't understand the basics of what I assume you know!
  • Dec 1: Activity 2 assignment (component testing). You only need to submit one report per group.
  • Nov 30: Make sure your bridge is finished by Tue, Dec 2 @ 9:30am, we'll start the testing at the beginning of class.
  • Nov 26: You need to sign up for next term's class: the main session is (162B, 43802), the mentor sessions are as following: 11pm, 43809 | 12pm, 43810 | 1pm, 43811. You need to sign up for the same mentor session as last term. No mentor session changes are allowed at this point. Those who register for a different mentor session will need to drop it and re-register for the correct one.
  • Nov 24: Final reflective essay assignment | Optional holiday blog assignment
  • Nov 20: Bridges planning and grading info

Useful links:


Tasks, assignments, and readings:


Logbook:

  • Thu, Dec 4:
    • Main session:
      • Feedback on Brunelleschi essay
      • Group discussion about future activity for next term
    • Mentor session: testing structural components, activity 2
    • Homework for Fri, Dec 5, 5pm:
  • Tue, Dec 2:
    • Main session:
      • Testing of the bridges
      • Instructions for activity 2
      • Start activity 2, testing structural components. Assignment.
    • Mentor session:
      • Testing structural components, activity 2
      • Mandatory UNST end of term assessment

Bridge testing results:
groupkgpointsletter grade
Jared et al.0 65 D
Aaron et al. 3.4 88 B+
My et al. 3.4 88 B+
Tyler et al.3.4 88 B+
Kelly et al.4.5 92 A-
Nathan et al.5.7 94 A
Max et al.5.7 94 A
Kelsie et al.6.8 96 A
Josh et al.7.7 98 A
Chris N. et al.9.1 100 A









Contacts:


Where and when:

  • Class: Cramer Hall 103, Tue/Thu, 9:30am - 10:45am
  • Mentor session 1: Cramer Hall 159, Tue/Thu, 11:00am – 11:50pm
  • Mentor session 2: Cramer Hall 159, Tue/Thu, 12:00pm – 12:50pm
  • Mentor session 3: Cramer Hall 159, Tue/Thu, 01:00pm – 01:50pm
  • Office hours: See here

Syllabus and schedule:

  • Fall syllabus, Sep 29, rev 1
  • Fall schedule, Sep 29, rev 1
  • Both the syllabus and the schedule will be adjusted during the quarter.
  • This website will always be more up-to-date than the syllabus.
  • You are expected to check the course Wiki the day after every class.

Class description:

Designers influence the creation of products, images, infrastructure and environments surrounding us, both virtual and real. Acting in a deliberate manner, designers engage with the problems facing their communities, and act to solve them by developing pragmatic, creative and innovative solutions. This course will use designers’ activities as an analogy for individuals in other disciplines; in the end, everyone is a designer as they determine the context and direction of their life. Using design as our focus, we will explore individual responsibilities toward society: How can we act to bridge the gap between design and ecological sustainability? How can individuals acting locally compete within the global economy? Using hands-on activities, case studies, and historical investigations, we will explore techniques for design, visualization, and creative problem solving, and share our visions for a future where designing, and by extension all activity, occurs in harmony with natural systems.
While this course uses hands-on activities as part of the teaching and learning process there is significant amount of reading and writing expected.

Texts for Fall:

  • Required: Brunelleschi’s Dome: How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture, Ross King, Penguin, ISBN 0-14-2000015-9.
  • Required: Ways of Writing: A Guide to College Composition, 2nd edition, PSU Writing Center.
  • These two texts should be available in the PSU bookstore, www.portlandstatebookstore.com (external link). Brunelleschi's Dome is a bit cheaper ($11.20 instead of $14 at the bookstore) on Amazon. Order here (external link).

Grading and assignments:

Fall term we will be doing one individual design project, and one large team design project on bridges. We’ll have one or two reflection papers and one longer term paper. Course grade will be based roughly on the following, however changes to assignments may change this somewhat.

  • Class participation, including: (20%)
    • Attendance
    • Full participation in class exercises and discussions
    • Active participation in mentor sessions
  • Assignments and projects including, but not limited to: (80%)
    • Homework (25%)
    • Individual design projects (15%)
    • Brunelleschi essays (15%)
    • Team bridge design project (~20%)
    • Final reflective essay (5%)

Please save your work throughout the year. You will need it for the preparing a cumulative portfolio each quarter. Your mentor records your mentor session participation and attendance and has direct input in your grade. Final grade is assigned by the instructor.

Work not turned in, unacceptable work or an absence from class when the work was done receives no credit. In addition if more than five classes (main and/or mentor) are missed the quarter grade will be reduced by one full letter grade. You will be marked absent for the day if you miss more than ten minutes of class. You will receive a failing grade if you miss a total of 10 instructor lead classes or mentor sessions or a combination thereof, despite your grades on work completed.

Readiness to learn means that you will come to class with questions and insights to offer to others and be prepared to discuss the assigned reading. We will be learning from each other and your voice is important. Your participation grade will include attendance, participation in class discussions, participation in online discussions, and group work in class on smaller design problems and case studies.

Classroom rules

  • Thou shalt respect your neighbors.
  • Thou shalt come prepared.
  • Thou shalt be on time.
  • Thou shalt use electronics moderately.
  • Thou shalt participate.

Useflul links:



Created by: cteusche Last Modification: Tuesday 06 of January, 2009 11:38:47 PST by cteusche


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