Fall

Global Guest Lecture Series I
This weekly series—delivered live or via video conferencing from around the world—will be curated to inspire new thinking and dialogue about the nature of human societies. Speakers will include business leaders, environmentalists, indigenous people, field workers, researchers, academics, shamans, poets, artists, musicians, policymakers, physicians, astronomers, physicists, dollar-a-day farmers, human rights activists and innovators in social issues. Debate and discussion will take place at the end of every lecture.

Employing Human and Social Technologies
All change, however great or small, begins with conversations among people. This course will investigate methods for designing successful human interaction both in person and virtually. Team-building exercises and processes for developing living human systems will be interspersed with techniques and practice in building communities with common concerns, using social networks and blogs, mobile technologies, video, Twitter and new techniques for fundraising. Each student will design and implement a communication concept, attract a group that supports a cause of his or her choice, and hold an event or tweetup.

Introduction to Social Innovation
This course will provide an overview of the landscape, terminology and various forms that social innovation can take, and the roles and impact that design has in each of them. It includes a review of the history of social innovation, the principles of sustainability (laws of thermodynamics), systems thinking, living systems and the corporate concept of the triple bottom line (people, planet and profits). Case studies of social innovation in action, using examples from poverty alleviation, human rights, environment, climate change, human/wildlife conflict, aging, women's rights, food and agriculture, racism, fair trade, education, community development and health are presented by leading innovators in these areas, along with demonstrations of how design was used to solve challenges. Students will consider how each social problem is connected to the others, what the unintended consequences of change are, how design impacts outcome and what defines success.
The class will examine and evaluate the various forms that design for social innovation can take, such as product design, communication design, business model, process, technology and distribution. After choosing an area of personal interest, each student will develop a concept and design a process and model for solving a social problem using at least four types of design.

Making Communication Work
To have a positive impact on society, designers must evolve beyond design as a form of self-expression and learn to create design that motivates their audience to action and change. This course combines rigorous design studio practice with lectures and discussions on brain science and linguistics, and uses multiple lenses to evaluate the nature and purpose of communication. In the recent past, the understanding of how our brains work has made enormous strides, and scientists are reevaluating how we make choices and what motivates behavior. How can designers incorporate this new understanding and use it to appeal to what is noble in our fellow humans?
Students will create communication campaigns and observe them being presented to “focus groups” in order to experience the gap between intention and the messages received. The practice of ethnographic research will be studied as well.

Mapping and Visualization Design I 
To visualize information is one way to understand it, and technology now makes it possible to illustrate and demonstrate concepts of human behavior and science that were previously too abstract to comprehend. Students will use crowd sourcing and aggregated data from the blogosphere, as well as other types of social and scientific data, to design information that informs, provokes and educates. Techniques of visualization design for a variety of applications, including law, science, social networking and conservation will be examined. 

Spring

Designing Change
This course extends the purview of design to the structure of society, government, education, healthcare and business. Students will be provided a thorough grounding in systems thinking and how to identify leverage points to create change. They will produce designs and models for a new product, as well as its launch and distribution in a developing country. Training will also be offered in Positive Deviance, a change model used with great success in childcare, women's issues, healthcare and corporate innovation.

Ethics and Social Innovation
As designers, we have the ability to change people's minds, inspire new behaviors or support existing ones. This is a power we must learn to use responsibly. Living and working in our society—and truly espousing sustainability—is a complex proposition, one that raises conflicts between our own needs, our clients' needs, and those of society and the environment. As we make decisions on the fly—how do we know what's right, or understand the implications of our decisions? Truth is sometimes hard to find, and the issues are often complicated. How can designers become partners in helping their employers or clients reinforce an accurate public image that leads to greater success? 
In this course, students will develop a strong foundation for ethical decision making that will help them “think on their feet” to make ethics practical rather than intimidating. Models for success will be proposed and debated and guests from the design world, nonprofits and industry will discuss the rewards and pitfalls.

Global Guest Lecture Series II
This weekly series—delivered live or via video conferencing from around the world—will be curated to inspire new thinking and dialogue about the nature of human societies. Speakers will include business leaders, environmentalists, indigenous people, field workers, researchers, academics, shamans, poets, artists, musicians, policymakers, physicians, astronomers, physicists, dollar-a-day farmers, human rights activists and innovators in social issues. Debate and discussion will take place at the end of every lecture.

Introduction to Thesis
Students will be encouraged to experiment with a variety of topics, researching each to the point of confirming their own interest and the viability of the concept. Thesis can include any type of social innovation, as long as it demonstrates a positive impact on its intended audience. Criteria include demonstration of need on the part of the audience, a clear articulation of the concept, and metrics for success. A committee of thesis advisors will provide feedback and introductions to external resources with appropriate expertise. By the end of the semester, students will have a fully vetted topic for their thesis.

Mapping and Visualization Design II
To visualize information is one way to understand it, and technology now makes it possible to illustrate and demonstrate concepts of human behavior and science that were previously too abstract to comprehend. Students will use crowd sourcing and aggregated data from the blogosphere, as well as other types of social and scientific data, to design information that informs, provokes and educates. Techniques of visualization design for a variety of applications, including law, science, social networking and conservation will be examined. 

Optional Summer Fieldwork
Students who choose this optional summer program will gain firsthand experience with the challenges and opportunities of social innovation in practice. A selection of corporations and non-profit organizations will be available and students will choose an issue of importance that they would like to explore, from muddy-boots conservation to poverty alleviation, healthcare or education.