The Ethics of Making: Design for Reparative Practices

In this course, students are challenged by the provocation of “why make anything for a world already full of stuff”? This requires students to reconcile their design decisions, processes, materials and choice of making in consideration to some of the most important challenges of our time. Students will be asked to consider the ethics of design and making through the lens our relationship to the environment and ecology. Students will engage in reparative practices and design projects that provide a counter-narrative to the economic concepts of infinite growth and infinite resource. Through this course students will learn and practice design thinking and making skills that enable them to independently and collaboratively understanding and respond to the impacts of resource extraction by developing design-based solutions.