Course Number: IAT 393
Credit Hours: 3 Vector: 1.5:0:1.5(lecture-tutorial-lab)
Course Description
Part of the 9-12 Credit ItaliaDesign Field School curriculum. Projects are completed in Florence and Milan. Students read, were examined on, and then had to apply into an ethnographic analysis - a study of the people and city of Florence as an exemplars of “brand Italia” Subject range from chaos and order, individual and town order, unit versus diversity, aesthetics, numbers and beauty in proportional math, architectural metaphors, the dynamics of the city, and town-square breakdowns. This resulted in a somewhat quantifiable set of “aesthetic performance matrices” and checklists to see if this notion of “delight” could be measured and quantified. The second study takes place in Milan, where students continue the study adding the particularities of the Milanese context and particularly Northern Italian Industrial innovation practices. Thus Italy was presented and unfolded as a potential model of “knowledge economy” from which Canada and specifically British Columbia can “learn”. Activities in Milan are framed by a dozen or more student visits and talks by leading contemporary design firms, distributors and manufacturers. Students meet and speak with top designers. Students toured factories such as the furniture manufacturer Kartell and Italy’s number one company, FIAT. The course asks: “Why is Italian Design so successful? How is design tied to culture? How is the Italian landscape for design different from the Canadian context?
Prerequisite: Upper division standing.
Recommended: None.
Corequisite: IAT 391/ IAT 392 (ItaliaDesign Field School).
Special Instructions: None.
Course(s) to be dropped if this course is approved: None.
Will this be a required or elective course in the curriculum; probable enrolment when offered?
Elective for all SIAT streams. The Field School has an interaction design focus and so the Interaction Design stream is the primary audience. The expected registration would be 10-15 students per offering. Field School runs annually or bi-annually, in spring intersession. The program is open to non-SIAT majors. Preference in selection is given to SIAT majors.
Indicate Semester and Year this course would be first offered and planned frequency of offering thereafter.
First offering: Spring 2005.
Which of your present CFL faculty have the expertise to offer this course? Will the course be taught by sessional or limited term faculty?
Russell Taylor, Ron Wakkary, Jim Budd. Course will be taught by these CFL SIAT Faculty.
Are there any proposed student fees associated with this course other than tuition fees?
No.
Is this course considered a `duplicate' of any current or prior course under the University's duplicate course policy? Specify, as appropriate.
No.
Note: Senate has approved (S.93-11) that no new course should be approved by Senate until funding has been committed for necessary library materials. Each new course proposal must be accompanied by a library report and, if appropriate, confirmation that funding arrangements have been addressed.
Provide details on how existing instructional resources will be redistributed to accommodate this new course. For instance, will another course be eliminated or will the frequency of offering of other courses be reduced; are there changes in pedagogical style or class sizes that allow for this additional course offering.
This course has been running since 2004 in SFU Surrey curriculum. It has been essentially library resourced.
Does the course require specialized space or equipment not readily available in the department or university, and if so, how will these resources be provided?
No.
Does this course require computing resources (e.g. hardware, software, network wiring, use of computer laboratory space) and if so, describe how they will be provided.
Software:
none
Generating research methods for analyzing contemporary cultural practices in the field
Advanced Applications of Ethnographic data to applied design projects
Studies in Advanced urban design issues
Advanced Studies in Italian Design
Contemporary Italian Design Awareness
Speculations on Emergent Interaction Design Contexts
Understanding the Contemporary Design Studio (1 week)
The Italian factory and Economic Innovation Model(1 week)
Advanced Applications of Pattern Analysis in Aesthetics(1 week)
Town Planning and the Village Square model(1 week).
Applied Design Research and Reflections on Best Practices( 1 week )
Grading
Grading
will be based on team based course projects. Research documentation
25%, preliminary project brief 35%, and final project 40%
Required Text
Books
Design Directory
Italy
Robert Lumley, John Foot. Italian Cityscapes: Culture and
Urban Change in Contemporary Italy
John Foot. Modern Italy