Entry requirements

52,5 hp credits within the main field of study Product Design, among these the course Produktdesign: Designmetodik should be passed in its entirety, or

60 credits within the subject Design.

Progression level in relation to degree requirements

The course is part of the Product design program.

Course contents

The course Design, Publics and Engagement provides an introduction to how designers can operate in relation to societal issues. The aim is to offer students with a general overview of how design can be used as way to explore and raise awareness and discussions about societal challenges. Through a group project and seminars in class room the course provides an introduction to some of the design approaches (for example co-design, speculative design, critical making) that aim at mobilize publics around societal challenges and spark engagement, discussion and reflection about them.

Learning outcomes

1. To have a basic understanding of how design can spark discussions and reflections about politics, ethics and societal issues
2. To have a basic overview of some of the design approaches that aim at foster public engagement in societal issues
3. To be able to perform a minor design process aiming at sparking engagement, discussion and reflection
4. Show the ability of articulating problem framing within a design process
5. Show the ability of evaluating how a design concept is able to invite others to engage in a societal issue

Learning activities

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Assessment

Design project 4,5 Hp (learning outcome 3,4,5)

Written text 3 Hp (learning outcome 1,2)

An assignment will be given 3 examination possibilities in direct connection to the course. Thereafter, the student may participate in examination the next time the course is held and must then do the assignment in accordance with current instructions. It is the student’s responsibility to contact the student administration prior to course start in order to participate in further examinations.

Course literature

• Di Salvo, C. (2009). Design and the Construction of Publics. Design issues, 25(1), 48-63.
• Di Salvo, C. (2010). Design, democracy and agonistic pluralism. In Proceedings of the design research society conference(pp. 366-371). Montreal: Design Research Society.
• Yaneva, A. (2009) Making the Social Hold: Towards an Actor-Network Theory of Design, Design and Culture, 1:3, 273-288
• Khovanskaya, V., Dombrowski, L., Harmon, E., Korn, M., Light, A., Stewart, M., & Voida, A. (2018). Designing against the status quo. Interactions, 25(2), 64-67.
• Wilkie, A. & Ward, M. (2010). Made in criticalland: designing matters of concern. Networks of Design: Proceedings of the 2008 Annual International Conference of the Design History Society (UK) University College Falmouth, 3-6 September

Selected articles may be added to the course literature.

Course evaluation

Malmö University provides students who participate in, or who have completed a course, with the opportunity to express their opinions and describe their experiences of the course by completing a course evaluation administered by the University. The University will compile and summarise the results of course evaluations. The University will also inform participants of the results and any decisions relating to measures taken in response to the course evaluations. The results will be made available to the students. (HF 1:14)

Interim rules

If a course is no longer offered, or has undergone significant changes, the students must be offered two opportunities for re-examination based on the syllabus that applied at the time of registration, for a period of one year after the changes have been implemented.

Additional information

Language of instruction: English.

If a student has a Learning support decision, the examiner has the right to provide the student with an adapted test, or to allow the student to take the exam in a different format.

This is the English version of a Swedish syllabus.