DEA 4800

Ethical Design: Engine of Positive Change

Course Description

Course information provided by the Courses of Study 2024-2025.

Design has the power to change how we view and interact with the world which can cause positive or negative impacts. Modern society faces various issues which are all closely related to the ethical aspects of design: humanitarian crises, labor exploitation, injustice in the workplace, loss of diversity, overconsumption, pollution, lack of transparency and pseudo-solutions to name a few. This course will discuss various ethical issues in design that impact individuals, community/society, economies, cultures, social dynamics, and the environment.

When Offered Spring.

Permission Note Enrollment priority given to: DEA undergraduate majors who have completed their 3000-level CORE courses. DEA minors and transfers will be given enrollment consideration based on course caps and/or permission of instructor.

Distribution Category (CA-HE, D-HE, LA-HE, SBA-HE) (CA-AG, D-AG, LA-AG, SBA-AG)

• Think critically about the main fields of design practice, identifying the ethical challenges of each in terms of current environmental, social, and health crises.
• Investigate the impact of unethical design, production, and marketing practices on individuals, social groups, and the environment.
• Identify the difference between pseudo-solutions that mitigate the symptoms of harmful practices and those initiatives and approaches that address the harm caused by the current production and consumption systems.
• Examine how to enhance, improve, and amplify social innovation initiatives that address the harm caused by unethical design, production, and marketing practices.

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