A History of Modern Design

Catalog description

This course introduces students to the history of modern design in the US and Europe, with selected reference to design traditions elsewhere. As a survey, it aims to present a broad overview of object types and materials produced since the mid-eighteenth century. These include furniture, textiles, ceramics, glass, graphics, as well as interior design, and serially produced industrial and product design. In addition, we will explore the tensions between machine and handmade objects; the idea of the designer; the ethics of design, as well as thematic questions around race, gender, consumption, and sustainability. One aim of this course is to develop students' abilities to analyze and write about objects of daily life and explore the multiple contexts (historical, economic, political, and ethical) within which these artifacts and goods are embedded.