COURSE INTRODUCTION AND APPLICATION INFORMATION

Course Name
Design Seminar
Code
Semester
Theory
(hour/week)
Application/Lab
(hour/week)
Local Credits
ECTS
FFD 505
Fall
3
0
3
7.5
Prerequisites
None
Course Language
English
Course Type
Required
Course Level
Second Cycle
Mode of Delivery -
Teaching Methods and Techniques of the Course
Course Coordinator -
Course Lecturer(s)
Assistant(s) -
Course Objectives The main objective of this course is to introduce to students the broad field of design, help them focus on their research areas, and lead them to start problematizing their respective thesis topics. Towards this end, this seminar course consists of readings and discussions on the broad field of design, and presentations and lectures by the members of the Faculty of Fine Arts and Design on their respective areas of research interest.
Learning Outcomes The students who succeeded in this course;
  • Students will be able to establish links between different design fields.
  • Students will be able to distinguish the paradigms of design research in different fields.
  • Students will be able to develop their own MA thesis topics and their scopes.
  • Students will be able to employ the language of scholarly dialogue and criticism through their comments and questions at presentations.
  • Students will be able to evaluate critically the differences between the texts that are written in and for a variety of contexts.
Course Description The unique characteristic of the Faculty and the Graduate program, that is, the integration among design fields, is the essence of approach in this seminar course. The approach to design as the all-encompassing concept that unites the thoughts and practices that have to do with the act of organizing and creating the entities around us, is the main content of this seminar course.
Related Sustainable Development Goals

 



Course Category

 Core Courses
X
Major Area Courses
Supportive Courses
Media and Managment Skills Courses
Transferable Skill Courses

 

WEEKLY SUBJECTS AND RELATED PREPARATION STUDIES

Week Subjects Required Materials
1 Introduction: Outline of the course. Assignment of HW-1. No preparation
2 Class work for students’ own research topics. Discussion on design articles and books, design conferences, lecturers of FFAD. Reading efficiency: Study the title, Skimming, Scanning and Searching. Evaluating the potential usefulness of a text and using the Index. HW-1 (Reading assignment): John Heskett (2002), Design: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press.
3 Class work for students’ own research topics. Discussion on design articles and books, design conferences, lecturers of FFAD. HW-1 (Reading assignment): John Heskett (2002), Design: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press.
4 Submission of HW-1 and discussion. Assignment of HW-2. HW-1 (Reading assignment): John Heskett (2002), Design: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press.
5 Guest speaker-1 and Quiz-1. HW-2 (Reading assignment): Don Norman (2013 -revised & expanded edition), The Design of Everyday Things, Basic Books, New York.
6 Guest speaker-2 and Quiz-2. HW-2 (Reading assignment): Don Norman (2013 -revised & expanded edition), The Design of Everyday Things, Basic Books, New York.
7 Submission of HW-2 and discussion. Assignment of HW-3. HW-2 (Reading assignment): Don Norman (2013 -revised & expanded edition), The Design of Everyday Things, Basic Books, New York.
8 Class work for students’ own research topics. Discussion on design articles and books, design conferences, lecturers of FFAD. HW-3 (Reading assignment): John Thackara (2015), How to Thrive in the Next Economy, Thames & Hudson.
9 Guest speaker-3 and Quiz-3. HW-3 (Reading assignment): John Thackara (2015), How to Thrive in the Next Economy, Thames & Hudson.
10 Submission of HW-3 and discussion. Assignment of Presentation, which is on students’ own research topics and one article. HW-3 (Reading assignment): John Thackara (2015), How to Thrive in the Next Economy, Thames & Hudson.
11 Class work for students’ own research topics. Discussion on design articles and books, design conferences, lecturers of FFAD. Preparing the Presentation.
12 Guest speaker-4 and Quiz-4. Preparing the Presentation.
13 Guest speaker-5 and Quiz-5. Preparing the Presentation.
14 Submission of Presentation. Preparing the Presentation.
15 Review of the semester
16 Review of the semester
Course Notes/Textbooks

John Heskett (2002), Design: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press; Don Norman (2013 -revised & expanded edition), The Design of Everyday Things, Basic Books, New York; John Thackara (2015), How to Thrive in the Next Economy, Thames & Hudson.
Suggested Readings/Materials

M. J. Wallace (2004) Study Skills in English, Cambridge, pp.9-25; D. O’Hair, H. Rubenstein and R. Steward (2010), A Pocket Guide to Public Speaking, Bedford: St.Martin’s; K. Shephard (2005), Presenting at Conferences, Seminars and Meetings, Sage; R. L. Rosnow and R. Rosenthal (2008), Beginning Behavioral Research, Pearson.

 

EVALUATION SYSTEM

Semester Activities Number Weigthing
Participation
1
10
Laboratory / Application
Field Work
Quizzes / Studio Critiques
5
20
Portfolio
Homework / Assignments
3
40
Presentation / Jury
1
30
Project
Seminar / Workshop
Oral Exam
Midterm
Final Exam
Total

Weighting of Semester Activities on the Final Grade
100
Weighting of End-of-Semester Activities on the Final Grade
Total

ECTS / WORKLOAD TABLE

Semester Activities Number Duration (Hours) Workload
Course Hours
(Including exam week: 16 x total hours)
16
3
48
Laboratory / Application Hours
(Including exam week: 16 x total hours)
16
Study Hours Out of Class
13
5
65
Field Work
Quizzes / Studio Critiques
5
3
Portfolio
Homework / Assignments
3
20
Presentation / Jury
1
37
Project
Seminar / Workshop
Oral Exam
Midterms
Final Exams
    Total
225

 

COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES AND PROGRAM QUALIFICATIONS RELATIONSHIP

#
 Program Competencies/Outcomes
* Contribution Level
1
2
3
4
5
1

to be able to expand the practical knowledge gained in undergraduate programs with theoretical field of design research,

 X
2

to be able to examine, interpret data and assess concepts and ideas with research methods of design theory and social sciences,

 X
3

to be able to identify problems of design disciplines in times of global / environmental crisis and to be able to develop possible solutions for design practitioners,

 X
4

to be able to expand knowledge on the history of material culture as it relates to design practices of the past,

 X
5

to be able to promote research on local practices of everyday life and assess the outcome to implement design solutions,

 X
6

to be able to facilitate interactions in between varied design disciplines and to promote collaborative work to solve complex problems,

 X
7

to be able to process outcome of design research to be applied in design education,

 X
8

to be able to instigate research on the new tools, technologies and materials of production in order to accelerate changes in design practices,
9

to be able to develop an ethical approach towards design professions in order to install social and environmental responsibilities,

 X
10

to be able to use a foreign language for both chasing the scientific publication and developing proper communication with colleagues from other countries, in written and verbal ways.

 X
11

to be able to use computer programs needed in the field design as well as information and communication technologies in advanced levels (“European Computer Driving Licence”, Advanced Level”).

*1 Lowest, 2 Low, 3 Average, 4 High, 5 Highest