ARTH 100 - Design History and Theory

This course is a global introduction to design ideas in a range of media: architecture, furniture, fashion, decorative arts, textiles, graphic and product design. We will study both design icons as well as the material world of everyday objects. Our main focus is how designers have negotiated form, function, materials and technology. But we also examine design projects in their social and historical contexts, considering how design both reflects and actively shapes cultural values. Students will be encouraged to think critically about the human impacts of different theories and innovations of design throughout history. The selection of both objects and themes will change depending on the faculty member teaching the course.

Credits 4

Compass Attributes
Humanities, Structures of Power and Inequality