This module presents thematic approaches to the study of product and furniture design as an historical subject. Through image-based lectures, discussions and study visits, students will be introduced to the historical development of product and furniture design from the 1750s to the present day. Students will consider the evolution of the design practices and professions, and the role of changing design and production technologies and techniques. Each session is intended to address particular ideas and practices that have shaped and constructed our contemporary understanding of product and furniture design as a meaningful social, cultural and economic activity. The module engages with critical texts to allow students to examine the relationship between theory and practice in product and furniture design, and to develop an understanding of the emergence of product and furniture design as a cultural response to modernity. Key themes will be explored, including: the evolution of design practices and professions, the relationship between politics, labour, craft and technology, taste and display, consumption and design, consumer advocacy and sustainability, alternative approaches to design practice, and the impact of digital technologies. An integral part of this module is the close consideration of designed objects and images, and the understanding of these in relation to larger contexts of meaning and interpretation.
On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
Image-based lectures, discussions, screenings and study visits are used to introduce and develop the content of the module. These are used to explore key ideas and examples, and provide the reference point for course reading, and the assessment tasks. An individual, research journal which is self-directed underpins student learning, and offers an opportunity for self-reflection and connection to studio-based learning. The module will make use of the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) Canvas for communication and dissemination of information between students and staff as well as making online learning materials available to all.
All courses based in the Kingston School of Art offer students free access to the online video tutorial platform Lynda.com. This provides a wide range of subjects to choose from, many with downloadable exercise files, including software tutorials covering photography, graphics, web design, audio and music, CAD and Microsoft Office software, as well as courses on Business and Management skills. Some of these are embedded in the curriculum and offer additional self-paced learning, others may be taken at will by students wishing to broaden their employability skills in other areas.
| Definitive UNISTATS Category | Indicative Description | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled learning and teaching | image-based lectures, discussions, screenings and study visits | 44 |
| Guided independent study | 256 | |
| Total (number of credits x 10) | 300 | |
The first assessment allows students to display their developing academic skills in research, writing, and visual analysis in the context of introductory themes of the module. The assessment emphasises skills in assembling images, text and key concepts, and understanding relations between them. These skills are further developed in the second assessment, where a more integrated approach to images, text and concepts is developed in a longer piece of writing. Feedback received from the first assessment feeds forward into the second assessment, which allows for development of key academic skills.
1) 1000 word piece of writing (20%), formative and summative;
2) Essay of 2000 words (80%), summative.
| Learning Outcome | Assessment Strategy |
|---|---|
| 1) Identify key historical issues debates that have informed the understanding of product and furniture design; | 1) 1000 word piece of writing 2) Essay (2000 words) |
| 2) Convey a contextualised understanding of their own work and practice; | 1) 1000 word piece of writing 2) Essay (2000 words) |
| 3) Describe some of the theoretical concepts through which product and furniture design has been understood; | 1) 1000 word piece of writing 2) Essay (2000 words) |
| 4) Convey an understanding of the relationship between design and technology; | 1) 1000 word piece of writing 2) Essay (2000 words) |
| 5) Describe and analyse visual and material examples; | 1) 1000 word piece of writing 2) Essay (2000 words) |
| 6) Convey their knowledge and understanding in writing. | 1) 1000 word piece of writing 2) Essay (2000 words) |
| Description of Assessment | Definitive UNISTATS Categories | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 1000 word piece of writing | Coursework | 20% |
| Essay (2000 words) | Coursework | 80% |
| Total (to equal 100%) | 100% | |
It IS NOT a requirement that any element of assessment is passed separately in order to achieve an overall pass for the module.
Adamson, G. (2008) Thinking Through Craft, Berg.
Candlin, F & Guins, R. (2010) The Object Reader, Routledge.
Forty, A. (1995) Objects of Desire, Thames & Hudson.
Appadurai, A. (1988) The Social Life of Things, Cambridge.
Attfield, J. (2000) Wild Things: The Material Culture of Everyday Life, Berg.
Baudrillard, J. (2005). The System of Objects, Verso.
Braungart, M. & McDonough, W. Cradle to Cradle, Vintage.
Houze, R. & Lees-Maffei, G. (2010) The Design History Reader, Berg.
Kittler, F. (1999) Gramophone, Film, Typewriter, Stanford.
Massey, A. (2011) Chair, Reaktion.
Micklethwaite, P & Chick, A. (2011) Design for Sustainable Change, AVA.
Miller, D. (2009) The Comfort of Things, Polity.
Miller, D. (2009) Stuff, Polity.
Parsons, T. (2009) Thinking Objects, AVA
Sparke, P. (2004) An Introduction to Design and Culture, Routledge.
Sparke, P. (2011) As Long as its Pink: The Sexual Politics of Design, NSCAD.
Turkle, S. (2011) Evocative Objects, MIT
Woodham, J. (1997) Twentieth-Century Design. Oxford University Press.