As a faculty member at OCAD University, Toronto, I've been involved with the
design of curricula in an interdisciplinary MDes program, Strategic
Foresight and Innovation. There are other interdisciplinary programs as
well, but these are carved out of the foundation of traditional faculties in
Design, Liberal Studies (Arts and Sciences) and Art.  In the
interdisciplinary programs we have created courses in business and design
thinking, human factors, systems theory and methods, research methodologies,
foresight - and some of these are studio taught,  with individual and team
projects that learners propose according to their long-range interests
associated with the goals of the program. 

An interdisciplinarian myself, I appreciate the fusion of course techniques
into topical, project-oriented classes. Over the decades, this approach has
been cyclic as well - some schools (design and otherwise) have innovated
curricula toward currency and relevance, and then swing back to a more
traditional disciplinary footing. I find it interesting that some frame the
disciplines as vocational, perhaps because there are craft traditions
associated with design. 

However, might it not be "vocational" to assume that design thinking
generalists are needed for today's wicked problems? Does that not also make
an assumption of the expected value of interdisciplinary thinkers in a
difficult and internationalized marketplace of talent and fungible ideas and
skills? We think about this with the MDes, because learners portfolio into
the program and must demonstrate a longer-term problem-oriented commitment
beyond that of career enhancement or business utility.

I'm surprised that the list has not yet taken up discussion on John Maeda's
plight at RISD. The recent faculty vote against his strategic plan
http://www.projo.com/education/content/RISD_UNREST_03-02-11_2FMP4OQ_v28.1af6
c6d.html seemed to revolve around these kinds of decisions. I'm not insider
this dispute by any means, but the article presents the faculty's case that
Maeda's strategic direction moved away from the value of the core
disciplines, and organized "new" interdisciplinary programs that were not
designed by faculty themselves with their understanding of the core skill
disciplines.  A core argument for the no vote appears to relate directly to
our discussion:

"The plan emphasizes certain collaborative, interdisciplinary studies aimed
at integrating the arts in emerging economic fields, such as health care and
environmental sustainability studies.

But much of the interdisciplinary study already under way at the college
seems to be either “ignored or unsupported” by the administration, Sherman
said.   And faculty worry that enhancing certain interdisciplinary studies
will come at the expense of well-established disciplines, Sherman said.

He said departments currently have difficulty delivering their core courses
in light of budgetary cuts imposed in 2008."

Are other schools finding these dynamics at work in their strategic
planning?

Peter Jones, Ph.D. 
Senior Fellow, Strategic Innovation Lab
Faculty, Strategic Foresight and Innovation

OCAD University
205 Richmond Street West, Toronto, Canada  M5V 1V6 
http://designdialogues.com      




 

Mike,
We've offered a transdisciplinary 'thinking and making' design program at
the University of Texas at Austin since the early 1990s, and we are in the
midst of re-evaluating and updating our approach to design education. Our
faculty have backgrounds in graphic design, typography, photography, product
design, political science, design criticism and architecture. Instead of
courses called Graphic Design 101, we offer topic-driven classes such as
Design Systems, Design and the Social Environment, and Design Theory and
Method each taught through the particular focus of that faculty with the
intent that the fundamental design skills learned can be applied in a
variety of situations outside the bounds of any particular discipline. This
places emphasis on design as a way of thinking and as a tool that can be
applied to a broad range of contemporary issues which is perhaps equivalent
to recent 'Design and...' programs.  A capstone senior project allows
students to operate across disciplinary boundaries and to choose the form of
a final product that is most appropriate to the situation they are trying to
'make sense of.'

At the moment, amongst other options, we are exploring ways to make stronger
institutional connections to disciplines outside of our own design
disciplines (computer science, business, engineering, etc.) to become more
truly interdisciplinary and to take fuller advantage of being at a large
research university.

More detail can be found on our web site:
http://www.finearts.utexas.edu/aah/design/featured_story.cfm
http://www.finearts.utexas.edu/aah/design/index.cfm

Riley Triggs
Design Lecturer
College of Fine Arts
University of Texas at Austin