FSAD 4800

Ethical Design: Engine of Positive Change

Course Description

Course information provided by the 2025-2026 Catalog.

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.

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

Last 4 Terms Offered 2025SP, 2024SP

Learning Outcomes

• 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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