Dear Mitch, David, Ken and others,
The problem Mitch set was discussed in lots of detail in early discussions on this list.
A key part of this problem (and the resolution of the Design curriculum problem, which I suggest is also relatively easy) is hinted in the physicist Richard Feymann's description of his year as a molecular biologist in which he discovered introgenic suppression.
==
"The next paper selected for me was by Adrian and Bronk. They demonstrated that nerve impulses were sharp, single-pulse phenomena. They had done experiments with cats in which they had measured voltages on nerves.
I began to read the paper. It kept talking about extensors and flexors, the gastrocnemius muscle, and so on. This and that muscle were named, but I hadn't the foggiest idea of where they were located in relation to the nerves or to the cat. So I went to the librarian in the biology section and asked her if she could find me a map of the cat.
"A map of the cat, sir?" she asked, horrified. "You mean a zoological chart!" From then on there were rumors about some dumb biology graduate student who was looking for a "map of the cat."
When it came time for me to give my talk on the subject, I started off by drawing an outline of the cat and began to name the various muscles.
The other students in the class interrupt me: "We know all that!"
"Oh," I say, "you do? Then no wonder I can catch up with you so fast after you've had four years of biology." They had wasted all their time memorizing stuff like that, when it could be looked up in fifteen minutes."
== (from 'Surely You're Joking Mr Feymann')
The hidden implicit element on which Feynmann's life approach to research and knowledge worked is the ability to know and understand the structure of concepts, theories and knowledge in all disciplines - they are in fact the same across all disciplines.
Teaching that understanding, I suggest, resolves the Design (and Design PhD) curriculum problem as described by Mitch and David.
And that is easily done in the time of a degree ... It just needs a different language...
Hints of the same can be seen in the recent film 'Hidden Figures'
Best wishes,
Terry
==
Dr Terence Love
MICA, PMACM, MAISA, FDRS, AMIMechE
Director
Design Out Crime & CPTED Centre
Perth, Western Australia
[log in to unmask]
www.designoutcrime.org
+61 (0)4 3497 5848
==
ORCID 0000-0002-2436-7566
-----Original Message-----
From: [log in to unmask] [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of David Durling
Sent: Friday, 29 December 2017 1:54 AM
To: PhD-Design - This list is for discussion of PhD studies and related research in Design <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: What is a PhD...curriculum?
Hi Francois
I suppose the ability to identify, choose appropriately, and know how to ask questions of experts in other disciplines is perhaps more at the centre of design education than I might have thought. Certainly, those who move across sub discipline boundaries have to rely on others to a lesser or greater extent. For example, a trained industrial designer being asked to design an exhibition (not an unusual request) might not have deep knowledge of relevant regulations, fire retardancy of materials, lighting requirements etc. etc. but should know where to find information, who to ask, and speak enough of the others' professional language to establish credibility and obtain the advice required. I guess the same can be said for design research. This would lead to a curriculum that essentially gave a good overview of major positions as a minimum, and maybe some deeper practical knowledge of method[s] appropriate to the study in hand. The term ‘judgement’ seems good to me.
I wish you all the luck in realising your dream!
kind regards
David
___________________________________________________________________
David Durling HonFDRS PhD
Professor of Design Research
Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Coventry University, UK
[log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]> http://durling.tel <http://durling.tel/>
Vice President IASDR iasdr.org <http://iasdr.org/>
> On 28 Dec 2017, at 16:57, Francois Nsenga <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> 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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