Good Design and The Body

Catalog description

This interdisciplinary seminar, Good Design and The Body, is a an exploration of design at the scale of the body. Developing a critical position in relation to the concept of a “standardized” or “idealized” or “normal” body will be a priority for this course. Through reading, writing, drawing and making, students will analyze both historic and contemporary designs for garments and furniture while also creating original work. This seminar, which encourages collaboration, innovation, learning-by-doing, and reflection, promotes a learning environment where students can come together in an open frame of inquiry and challenge some of their presets, like whether something “fits” or “looks good” or “is comfortable.” The course aims to provide the opportunity for students to develop their critical spatial and material sensibilities, as well as their thinking, writing, and looking skills. Class periods will include discussions of weekly readings, presentations of student design work, skills workshops, and field trips. Authors include journalist and activist Caroline Criado Perez, economist Pietra Rivoli, design curator Paola Antonelli, architect David Gissen, philosopher Susan Bordo, cultural critic Kim Hastreiter, anthropologists Terence Turner and Karen Tranberg Hansen, cognitive scientist and usability engineer Don Norman, architect Le Corbusier, among others.