Design and Media Arts @ Napier University
MPhil/PhD Studentship Opportunities, October 2003
Opportunities currently exist at this award winning School for funded study
towards the award of MPhil and PhD degrees. Specific opportunities exist in
the following areas:
1. The Sociality of Design
Critical and creative practice within design addresses the sociality of
products and environments - three-dimensional things that mediate or
articulate culture and lifestyle. In the realm of modern society, the design
process is a highly charged social affair in that it can often involve
scores of people with the output affecting possibly thousands of end users.
Moreover, the creation and manipulation of many product forms often crosses
traditional boundaries of context, space, and time. The key aim of this
project is to achieve breakthrough thinking by utilising traditional and
emergent sociological-based research methods in design activities such as
brainstorming, scenario modelling, sharing understanding, and conceptual
vision particularly within the creative phases of design.
2. Narrating the Design Process
In design research, a growing body of researchers have begun to look at
design activity at the social level, and particularly aspects of how
designers communicate verbally, textually and with models and pictures. A
key element of this research project will be the adoption of reflective
practice and other naturalistic methods of looking at practical actions and
outcomes. This project will explore the means by which designers communicate
during the design process and the methods they might utilise such as
role-playing, characterisation, and storytelling in the form of narrative
descriptions and how this relates to the design experience.
Applications are sought from graduates with a 'good' first degree in the
areas of architecture, product design, 'soft' computing, anthropology,
psychology or other relevant areas.
For more information on the opportunities available please contact:
Dr Paul A. Rodgers
Reader in Design
School of Design and Media Arts
Napier University
Merchiston
10 Colinton Road
Edinburgh
EH10 5DT
t: +44(0)131 455 2313/2678
f: +44(0)131 455 2292
e: [log in to unmask]
w: http://www.napier.ac.uk/dama/
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