Course Overview

At Stanford, you will find many courses that ask you to make things—everything from algorithms, products, policies, to artworks. What is rarer is to be given the space to stop and really think about why we design these things, and whether we should continue to design in ways demanded by commercial and political actors. This critical thinking course examines the nature, purpose, and meaning of design in human life, and asks the fundamental questions of “what is design?”, “why do we do it?”, “how do design, technology, and society shape one another?”, and “how can we design to resist, reform, and revolutionize?”. We will consider two main models of design: need-based design (as we are often taught), and values-based design (that helps us flourish as human beings). As you learn about various aesthetic and ethical frameworks and a fundamental language of design, your critical tools for analyzing and conceptualizing design will sharpen and transform. From everyday objects such as media, tools, toys, games, and musical instruments, to aspirations for artificial intelligence and virtual reality, you will learn how to more clearly and critically view our technology-drenched human world—and to exercise your ethical and artful imagination to reimagine better worlds.

Course Learning Goals