François,
On Sep 19, 2013, at 10:54 AM, Francois Nsenga <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Now that you mention it, I think, instead of just sending us over to
> other departments and learn whatever is offered there (silly to expect
> them to "deal with the question of what they have to offer" to design
> students), or instead of having professors in other disciplines
> invited over to freely teach us their respective subjects, it would be
> or have been more beneficial if educators in Design would clearly
> identify those pedagogical trans-disciplines needed, first. And then,
> as I said in one of my recent posts, go out and recruit teachers in
> those disciplines needed, with specific briefs corresponding to those
> needs set. This is he ideal, however, on the other hand there always
> is the question of budget availability...
I mostly agree with you. I have to admit that I'm in a nice position that most of the university would envy. Other than a few illustration students (most of whom actually understand the relationship of what they do to graphic design), nobody is required to take my classes except people who are graphic design majors or want to be. So I've never had t deal with a lecture hall full of pissed off people who just need to get a passing grade so they can go on to never think about whatever I'm doing again.
I see too many university professors who (quite cynically, I believe) see curricular requirements as a way of increasing their student credit hours thus their power and budgets. I have little patience for, say, art historians who don't ever ask themselves how art or design students would benefit from their classes even though their classes are entirely populated by art and design students who are required to be there.
I have started a conversation with a sociologist about a social science methods class for non-social scientists. If a business major understood the value of graphic design, she'd have to take several classes before being allowed to take my classes and the stuff that would be good for them is scattered through several years of work. Our students have the same situation with social science classes and I'm hoping to short circuit that. To do the same thing in creating an alternative to their math requirement, I'd have to get a new class put together then get the math requirements for the degree changed. . . Maybe I'll start with trying to start a university-wide discussion about requirements, using the much-lauded "write where you are" program as the example of success.
From an overall policy standpoint, I think that we need to stop fighting the vocationalization of education and instead adapt it to broad educational goals. Design could have a couple of important roles in that change.
Gunnar
Gunnar Swanson
East Carolina University
graphic design program
http://www.ecu.edu/cs-cfac/soad/graphic/index.cfm
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Gunnar Swanson Design Office
1901 East 6th Street
Greenville NC 27858
USA
http://www.gunnarswanson.com
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+1 252 258-7006
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