Getting Beyond the Canon and Beyond the Lecture: Design History Pedagogy Pro-Tools


Teaching design history is different from teaching art history; design history relies on multiple intersecting histories of social change, technology, science, engineering, aesthetics, manufacturing, materials, labor, and consumer culture. In the US, design history is still a developing field. Compared to art history, there are few publications, textbooks, or even museum collections available to synthesize this history. The explosive growth of design degree programs in the US has increased class sizes. How can innovative pedagogical tools meet these challenges? How can design history teachers create a curriculum that is dynamic and inclusive? Since most students taking design history classes in the US are designers themselves, finding ways to teach research skills is critical, but challenging because of the lack of publications and collections. This panel seeks presentations that highlight solutions to these challenges. What strategies do you use to deal with large class sizes, to get out of traditional lecture models, or to create discussion? How do you get students working with objects, particularly without local collections, or when large class size precludes conventional field trips? How do you get students engaged with primary sources, and teach students to find them on their own? What strategies do you use to teach research practices? We envision a panel in which participants share an instrumental group of tools that can be used by others. Paper proposals should highlight one pedagogical tool or approach, the problems it sought to address, its learning outcomes, and how you know it was successful.

Field of Study:
Modern (1800-present)
Decorative Arts
Fiber Arts/Textiles
Furniture
Glass

Chair:
Victoria Rose Pass,Design Studies Forum - vpass81@gmail.com
Discussant:
Matthew Bird,Rhode Island School of Design - mbird@risd.edu

The Pattern Project: a design history assignment
Sara Desvernine Reed, Virginia Commonwealth University