Dear David,
Through my lorgnette of a retired non-Phd holder, a non-British, a
non-Western, a non-artist University level trained designer, and a
non-Engineer, if I had to build a PhD curriculum in Design, as the one I am
currently dreaming of - and pushing hard to get started here in Rwanda - I
would certainly propose one curriculum, as you say, generally instilling
into students the ability "...to call upon appropriate resources (including
the ability to choose and ask an expert)".
My overall rationale being that the privileged focus should be that of
human use of material artifacts; and to study such a wide phenomenon,
necessarily calls for transdisciplinarity.
I here refer to Bruno Latour's concept of the "Thing", the old northern
hemisphere tribal gathering...Or to a Rwandan/African traditional communal
case hearing... In my view, a high level trained designer - an
indispensable complement to design technicians, both absolutely needed, by
the way!! - should be trained to act like a Judge:
- thoroughly searching and investigating - a material artifact use - case;
- impartially selecting the widest possible range of potential 'concerned'
parties representatives: both living and non-living entities, directly and
indirectly related, both positively and negatively, to the case on hand;
- summoning those available representatives to the "Thing", to the Gacaaca
place, under the communal tree...for 'hearing' each: either directly in
their un-scientific language, and/or indirectly through their respective
scientific and technical 'advocates' and interpreters;
- synthesizing all 'opinions' heard, and then proposing a 'judgement': here
invoking laws related to the enhancement of various advantages to various
users of the artifact considered;
-and ultimately, handling over the 'judgment' to designated designer
technicians for implementation: both in policy deciding, and in effective
material/spatial building of the artifact;
- eventually, supervising and reporting whether or not the implementation
has been satisfactorily rendered, respecting, or not, the 'judgement'
rendered and communally agreed upon.
Wish me luck to see the above realized as well here in Rwanda, in my
remaining life days!
And all the best to you too!
François
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