Courses

Cars: Past, Present and Future

Focus on the past, present and future of the automobile, bridging the Humanities, Social Sciences, Design, and Engineering. Focus on the human experiences of designing, making, driving, being driven, living with, and dreaming of the automobile. A different theme will be featured each week in discussion around a talk and supported by key readings and media. The course is informed by history, archaeology, ethnography, human-technology interaction, mechanical engineering, and cognitive science. Preference to freshmen. Teaching team: C. Nass, M. Shanks. More info here. 

ID
Comm 165N
Terms
2013 - Spring
Units
3
Grading
Letter

d.school: Understanding Superfans and Their Heroes

Our fundamental belief is that the most successful people, brands and movements are built around a hero and by extension, its fans. Understanding the connection between the hero and their superfans is what we'll explore, a critical new skill if you want to build something of lasting value. You'll deconstruct what made that connection possible and then use what you learned to construct a prototype that a young up-and-coming hero can use as a roadmap.

Through a radical team-based, hands-on, multidisciplinary class, you will interview superfans to come up with the design principles... Read More

ID
ME 235
Terms
2013 - Spring
Units
2-3
Grading
Credit/No Credit

Judging Historical Significance: The Automobile

How might we judge the importance of an object?  This immersive d.school seminar is designed for you to learn how to judge the import and impact of a historical object.  Students will explore context, design and impact to develop criteria and discuss their findings to arrive at a common outcome. 

Our test case for this is the automobile but the underlying thinking is designed to be transferable across the disciplines. Having a working mechanism for judging importance -- drawing from exposure to experts from archeology, psychology, history, engineering and... Read More

ID
ME 200
Terms
2013 - Spring
Units
1
Grading
Credit/No Credit

Tales To Design Car By

Investigating the relationship with cars through the application of research and with a generative storytelling focus will provide inspiration for designing a new automotive experience. This course will use ethnographic research, interviews, and a variety of narrative methods including verbal, non-verbal, cinema, and sound, and short collaborative projects to inform the creation of a physical prototype for a new car experience and the story around it. Restricted to co-term and graduate students. Class Size limited to 18. Teaching Team: B. Karanian. More info here.

ID
ME 236
Terms
2013 - Spring
Units
3
Grading
Credit/No Credit

Car Culture

Car Culture. Since at least the 50s, the U.S. has been notorious as a nation in love with the car. An examination of this premise, analyzing new methods of production brought by automobile manufacture, how automobiles shaped urban growth, debates about pollution and environmental degradation, and debates around auto safety. How the car has influenced American practices including courting, eating out, and suburban living.

ID
ANTHRO 146
Terms
2013 - Winter
Units
5
Grading
Letter

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