Dear Jacques,
There are several threads moving forward under the same rubric. One
is a minor thread seeking clarity on the issues of discipline and
field. The other is a major issue on the behavior of designers in the
academic and professional context.
Whatever you wish to label the nature of the entity you describe --
discipline, field, profession -- the silos exist. It is my
observation that designers tend to function within these silos, and
that they tend, like most silo-bound professionals, to avoid crossing
what they perceive as boundaries. In other words, they think and
behave inside the boxes they create.
Getting beyond this is difficult. For now, I thank you for a clear
description of the situation, whatever label it bears.
Yours,
Ken
--
Jacques Giard wrote:
But little of this is relevant in the realm of the typical American
university, where architecture, engineering, and design are taught or
outside academe in the respective design professions. The reality is that
disciplinary silos exist and breaking down the barriers is no easy task.
Telling faculty members and students that graphic design, for example, is
not a discipline because it does not fit one definition or another is a moot
point. They perceive graphic design as a discipline and no dictionary
definition is going to change their perception. End of conversation.
My first post was predicated on John's post, which seemed to allude to a
disciplinary dilemma when he cited, "...problem solving preferences to a
significant degree transcend disciplines..." and ended with "What's the fuss
about disciplines?" I agree with the citation and with John. Effective
problem solving should rise above the limitations imposed by one discipline
or another. Nevertheless, the reality, at least in the USA, is that design
disciplines do exist. They have professional associations that define their
scope of activity. Some even control the professional practice of the
discipline through licensing. Accreditation agencies approve disciplinary
curricula at the universities. Together, silos are not only created but are
reinforced. To state that design is not a discipline may be correct in
theory; in practice, it does not move us forward.
Consequently, the challenge becomes one of working over, under, or around
these disciplinary walls. This is why I stated that perhaps asking students
what they want to do as opposed to what they want to be is a first step in
that direction. I would like to hear from other educators and professionals
on other ways that we can surmount the walls of the disciplines.
--
Ken Friedman
Professor, Ph.D., D.Sc. (h.c.)
Institute for Communication, Culture, and Language
Norwegian School of Management
Oslo
Center for Design Research
Denmark's Design School
Copenhagen
+47 46.41.06.76 Tlf NSM
+47 33.40.10.95 Tlf Privat
email: [log in to unmask]
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