Course syllabus autumn 2021
Course syllabus autumn 2021
Title
Embodied interaction
Swedish title
Embodied interaction
Course code
KD641A
Credits
15 credits
Grading scale
UG / Fail (U) or Pass (G)
Language of instruction
English
Decision-making body
Faculty of Culture and Society
Syllabus approval date
2020-06-10
Syllabus valid from
2020-08-31
Entry requirements
1. Degree of Bachelor or equivalent in subjects relevant for interaction design. Examples of relevant subjects include, but are not limited to: computer science,
informatics, information systems, human-computer interaction, new media arts,
fine arts, design (industrial, product, graphic, interaction), communication studies,
media studies and cognitive science.
2. Approval of the following submitted material: 2 x work samples of previous
relevant work and an individual response to the application assignment, available
on the Malmö University web site.
3. General eligibility + the equivalent of English course B in Swedish higher
secondary school.
Level
Advanced level
Main field
Interaction Design
Progression level
A1N
Progression level in relation to degree requirements
The course can normally be included as part of a general degree at advanced level.
Course objectives
Embodied Interaction is an established sub field in Interaction Design addressing physical computing, wearables, haptics and tangible and performative interactions. This course integrates theory and practice and asks critical questions around bodies, society, data and agency in conjunction with materials experimentation including, but not limited to, electronic prototyping. Performative, collaborative and multidisciplinary methodologies are emphasized
Course contents
This course identifies Embodied Interaction as an important subfield of Interaction Design.
Building on the starting point of embodied interaction as an umbrella for physical computing, wearables, haptics and tangible interactions, this course:
1. redefines embodiment in terms of materiality and asks for an awareness of whose bodies and what bodies are designed;
2. opens critical engagement with contemporary politics and economics;
3. fosters awareness and experimentation of methodologies, including experimental prototyping, performative and critical approaches to design in heterogeneous design situations.
4. requires an engagement with interdisciplinary scholarly writing
Learning outcomes
Repertoire and theory
1. Build a repertoire of important design elements and materials in embodied interaction.
2. Integrate relevant theories pertaining to embodied interaction.
3. Demonstrate an awareness of relevant multidisciplinary approaches to embodied interaction.
Skills and technique
4. Display the ability to engage in, and argue for, experimental interaction design with relevant approaches methodologies and materials.
5. Demonstrate skills required for constructing academic knowledge, specifically the ability to engage effectively with the academic literature .
Reflection and criticism
6. Demonstrate the ability to formulate and assimilate relevant critical and theoretical perspectives in relation to embodied approaches to interaction design.
Learning activities
Three educational processes integrated into this Embodied Interaction course: 1. Electronics skills acquisition in the form of a workshop component (a short course on Arduino, sensors, and actuators); 2. A theoretical and critical component based on readings and seminar discussions; 3. A collaborative project producing a design prototype.
Assessment
The assessment for the course is based on a project prototype presented to the group and an academic paper. The project prototype is produced by a team of between 3-5 students. The paper is individually written.
Learning outcomes 1–4 assessed through oral group examinations (including studio milestones and project presentations). Learning outcomes 5 & 6 concern the development of skills in using the research literature efficiently, and are assessed in two ways: in the oral group examinations by examining the academic grounds for students’ decisions and claims; and directly based on an individually submitted written reflection of 2000-2500 words.
Course literature and other study material
- Dourish, Paul. Where the Action Is: The Foundations of Embodied Interaction. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 2001.
- Dourish, Paul. “Epilogue: Where the action was, wasn't, should have been, and might yet be”. ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction. 20, 1, Article 2 (April 2013), 1-4.
- Höök, Kristina. Designingwith the Body: Somaesthetic Interaction Design. MIT Press, 2018.
- Kozel, Susan. “Re-Embodiment: new strategies for teaching Embodied Interaction.” Proceedings for CUMULUS Kolding, 2017, 107-116.
- Light, Ann. “HCI as heterodoxy: Technologies of identity and the queering of interaction with computers”. Interacting with Computers Vol.23, Issue 5, 2011, 430-438.
- McFadden, Syreeta. “Teaching the Camera To See My Skin: Navigating photography’s inherited bias against dark skin.”Buzzfeed, 2014.
Plus additional texts selected on a yearly basis to support the course work.
Materials:
Students will be expected to purchase a basic electronicskit.Details to be provided at the start of the academic year.
Course evaluation
Plenary discussion and individual written evaluation, focusing on the learning outcomes and the means for achieving them (learning activities, resources, course organization etc.).