51272: Cultures // Course Syllabus & Schedule

Tuesdays & Thursdays, 3:00pm to 4:20pm
We are meeting via Zoom (previously Margaret Morrison Room A11)
Instructors: Marysol Ortega mortegap@andrew.cmu.edu and Hajira Qazi hmq@andrew.cmu.edu
Teaching Assistant: Eustina Daniluk edaniluk@andrew.cmu.edu
We hold office hours by appointment via Zoom
This is a living document; dates and content may be subject to change over the course of the semester

Online Learning Guidelines (for comments and questions refer to google doc)

Tools needed for this online course:

• Zoom: For class time we will use zoom, please get the Zoom Client on your computer
• Google Docs: To submit questions related to assigned readings

Communication and general class guidelines:

• All sessions will be recorded for those who are in a remote time zone from Pittsburgh
• A recap for each session will be done by Eustina and published on our Medium publication. A copy of this syllabus is also available here.
• Deadlines for assignments will not change, and will still be submitted on Box in their regular local Pittsburgh time and day.

Instructions to connect via Zoom:

• Make your best effort to connect on time. If you have any problems connecting let Eustina know via Slack and we will try to solve it. Let us know if you are or were unable to attend a session so we can accommodate your situation.
• Our Zoom link for all the sessions is communicated on the google doc. Eustina will schedule Zoom meetings using that same link for each class so it goes to your calendar.
• Once connected to our Zoom room, please make sure your microphone is off. If you are experiencing connectivity issues, please turn your camera off. Please only activate the microphone when you are speaking. We will enable the ‘non-verbal feedback options’ in Zoom so that you are able to signal if you wish to speak. You can also ask questions via Zoom chat. In taking these measures we hope to mitigate connection overload, optimized screen sharing and sound, and to allow everyone to participate as much as possible.
• There will be moments when groups will have to show the rest of the class small discussion takeaways. Please get acquainted with Zoom and its screen sharing mode if needed.

Class dynamics and format:

Tuesdays

• Online lectures via Zoom. Questions will be asked through the chat window as we go and Eustina will make a selection of questions at the end of class and Hajira and Marysol will answer them. Make sure you have downloaded the Zoom client prior to class.

Thursdays

• We will have a short online discussion via Zoom. This discussion is about the assigned readings for the week. We ask you to do the readings before Thursday and add comments and/or questions using Hypothe.is by 2pm prior to class. After the whole class discussion (20min), you will be assigned to a “Breakout Room” according to your team number. Twenty minutes after class starts, you will be sent out to your respective breakout room for the 30 min session of the small group discussion (we are calling this small discussion a provocation discussion). Five minutes before the discussion session ends you will receive a notification to wrap up discussions. Instructors and TA may “float around” breakout rooms.
• Provocateurs (group discussion leaders) will be in charge of recording main takeaways in a shared google spreadsheet
• We will reconvene at 4:00pm on Zoom and each provocateur will share their main takeaway. Questions and comments will be done through the chat window and Eustina will be in charge of selecting and reading them

Course Description

As makers of the artificial and influencers of human experience, designers have a responsibility to account for the different kinds of human.This course aims to give you new perspectives and insights into the world, particularly to those messy and irreducible aspects of human life and experience that design methods cannot get to — a complementary course to Design Research Methods. By discussing various aspects of human difference — ideology, class, faith, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, political affiliations, or worldviews — and relating them to the material/designed world, you will learn to become more critical and sensitive thinker, especially with regards to the ethics and politics of your design propositions and interventions.

Additionally, you will engage in a self-learning experience about your own identity and how that shapes the way you design. To reach this goal, class time will comprise of short lectures, discussions regarding a series of discourses from the fields of cultural theory, theories of labor and class, feminist studies, and how those relate to our identities and to the realm of design. You will go through this process with the guidance and support of your peers, instructors and TA. It is encouraged to ask for and share points of view with others to enter in a process of reflection and reevaluation of your own preconceptions. Due to the nature of this class, coursework will be a combination of personal and group work, allowing for self and collective reflective work. For the group assignment, you will work in groups of 5–6 members.

Learning Objectives

By the end of the semester, you should be able to:

• Describe how historical and philosophical roots of identity and culture shapes design as a reflection of society and how design shapes society in return.
• Assess your own biases and assumptions to reevaluate them and enter into a process of constant reevaluation.
• Discuss issues of difference in a sensitive manner that is respectful of everyone’s difference and positionality.
• Facilitate conversations on sensitive topics for others to engage in critical thinking.

Course Structure

This class has been planned as a seven week course for a total of thirteen sessions and is divided into six modules:

Module 1: Identity

An introduction exploring different aspects of what constitute our identities. The purpose of this module is to begin to recognize difference as a crucial component to the development of our design careers. We will discuss how different aspects of our identity are interrelated but also contextually and situationally based and engage in critical conversations about the notions of identity, and how perceived identities by others differ from what we think our personal identities are. We will talk about how some aspects of what makes our identities are seen as fixed while others might change or evolve over time.

Module 2: Class and Labor

An analysis of the evolution of labor by focusing on the work of Karl Marx. Rather than study his work related to communism and socialism, we will study Marx’s conception of humans as makers and how from his point of view, history is a progression of changes in our relation to material and labor, hence, its relevance for design. Bringing labor even closer to design, we will discuss the Arts and Crafts movement spearheaded by William Morris and how it was a response to industrialization as well as how origins of participatory design are rooted in labor.

Module 3: Politics and Power

By analyzing Carl Schmitt and Louis Althusser’s work, we will explore how the concepts of politics and the political intertwine with the idea of sovereignty. Plus, a deepening into matters of ideology will allow us to think critically how designed artifacts are the embodiment of ideology, influencing people on what to think and how to feed through aspirations, desires, and values.

Module 4: Faith and Belief

We will delve into the historical context to principles underlying secularism in order to contrast principles of faith and belief. This will be an examination of how faith and ideology are different and how they are oftentimes conflated and mutually exploited, in this sense entering a discussion on whether or not design can be neutral, and/or what is neutral design.

Module 5: Race, Ethnicity and Culture

An overview of World Systems Theory, a term coined by Immanuel Wallerstein, and how concepts of race and ethnicity are an outcome of colonization and are reinforced by globalization. We will discuss how aspects of colonization, decolonization, culture, and cosmological perspectivism relate to contemporary discourse in design.

Module 6: Gender, Sex and Sexuality

Through an analysis of protofeminism, feminist waves, feminism in the Global South and different conceptions of gender by a variety of cultures we will engage in an analysis of design through a feminist perspective. We will highlight the work of Gloria Anzaldúa, Simone de Beauviour, Carol Hanisch, and Maria Lugones.

The links to the required viewings are in this document; texts and readings are up on Box for the relevant week.

Week I — Module 1: Identity

03.17.2020. Class is cancelled due to remote instruction preparations.

03.19.2020. Me, Myself & We
We will do introductions and a brief review of the syllabus as well as the assignments which will be both ongoing practices throughout the course. Then we will talk about how human identity and subjectivity is constructed — both personal and collective — at the cross-section of multiple (material) ontologies (ways of being and becoming) and how these identities influence behavior

Key Concepts: Identity, Self & Group, Alterity, Intersectionality
Reflection Readings: 1 or 2 stories of your choice from American Like Me
Exercises: Introductions, Identity Chart, Introduce Assignments: Weekly Reflections and Student-led Provocations

Week II — Module 2: Class and Labor

No reflection due Sunday 03.22

03.24.2020. The Specter of Karl Marx
Students are introduced to Marxist theory and core concepts such as capital, value, work and labor, production and consumption, and Marx’s analysis and problematization of capitalism. We will also talk about the history of participatory design and its labor origins.

Key Concepts: Modes/Relations/Means of Production, Capital, Exchange Value, Conspicuous Consumption, Alienation, Commodity Fetishism; Participatory Design
To Watch: Sweatshop (Kanopy) or The True Cost (Amazon)

03.26.2020. Craft in Light of Industrialization
We will briefly introduce the Arts and Crafts movement and DIY movements as a response to industrialization.

Key Concepts: Industrialization, Arts and Crafts movement, William Morris and John Ruskin
Exercises: [Student-led Provocation Session]
To Read: Bolivian Women Who Knit Parts for Hearts; A Dying Craft Made to Order (NYTimes, or PDF) or Hats Off to Crafts Skills
To Watch: Intelligent Hand (YouTube)

Week III — Module 3: Politics and Power

Due Sunday 03.29 EOD: Reflection on Class and Labor including your curated artifact with a reflection of your selection. If you were a provocateur, you should submit your Provocation assignment as your reflection instead.

03.31.2020. Societies of Sovereignty, Discipline & Control
We discuss the work of Carl Schmitt and Louis Althusser in theorizing of modern Western societies. We explore what entities hold certain political power and how sovereignty is embodied today through materials and artifacts. We will also talk about Foucault and concepts related to society of surveillance.

Key Concepts: Norm & State of Exception, RSAs & ISAs, Biopolitics, Biopower, Panopticism
Materials in preparation to this class:
To Watch: Michel Foucault: Biopolitics and Biopower, Rachel Adams
To Listen: The Cure for Hate from Your Undivided Attention Podcast

04.02.2020. Ideology and Power
We deepen into matters of ideology by discussing Zizek and Verbeek and how every designed artifact embodies certain ideology
Materials in preparation to this class:
To Read: Excerpt of “Moralizing Technology,” Peter-Paul Verbeek and “Do artifacts have politics,” Langdon Winner

Key Concepts: Ideology, Morality and Technology, Artifacts and Power
Exercises: [Student-led Provocation Session]

Week IV — Module 4: Faith and Belief

Due Sunday 04.05 EOD: Reflection on Politics and Power Including your curated artifact with a reflection of your selection. If you were a provocateur, you should submit your Provocation assignment as your reflection instead.

04.07.2020. Faith and Ideology
In this module, we explore the meaning of faith and belief and personal commitments. Students will be introduced to concepts behind secularism and secular values that are held sacred. We then consider the distinction between values, faith and ideology and discuss the idea of ‘neutral’ design. We will briefly go over traditional conceptions of beauty as a means for self-transcendence and look at examples of sacred art.

Key Concepts: Faith and Belief, Ideology, Secularism, The Sacred, Values and Value Sensitive Design, Beauty and/versus Use; Sacred Art
Materials in preparation to this class:
Optional To Watch: Silence, Martin Scorsese
To Read: Tech Evangelist (watch these clips for reference) ; Clash of the Bearded Ones

04.09.2020. Faith and Ideology Provocation
In this session, we will focus on small group discussion based on the provocations prepared for Faith and Ideology.
Exercises: [Student-led Provocation Session]

Week V — Futures and Worlds

Due Sunday 04.12 EOD: Reflection on Faith and Belief including your curated artifact with a reflection of your selection. If you were a provocateur, you should submit your Provocation assignment as your reflection instead.

04.14.2020. Guest Lecture — Stuart Candy: Causal Layered Analysis Part I
Materials in preparation to this class:
To Read: “Six Pillars: Futures Thinking for Transforming” pp. 12–15 as marked in the document or pp. 9–12 of the pdf itself

This would be a ‘hands-on’ module where we will explore the use of Causal Layered Analysis, or CLA for short, to imagine and explore the concepts of futures and worlds. Through the CLA you will learn to identify four levels of causality of a certain issue. Through a CLA allows designers to speculate about new futures through the use of narratives based on empirical reality.

04.16.2020. Guest Lecture — Stuart Candy: Causal Layered Analysis Part II

Week VI — Module 5: Race, Ethnicity and Culture

Due Sunday 04.19 EOD: Reflection on Futures and Causal Layered Analysis, you don’t have to include your curated artifact this time.

04.21.2020. Before European Hegemony & The Invention of Race
We discuss the world-system prior to the modern one through the work of Wallerstein and Abu-Lughod and religious and cultural interchange and syncretism. We cover a history of the social construction of race in relation to the conquest of the Americas and the lasting impacts of colonialism worldwide.
Materials in preparation to this class:
To Watch: “The Danger of a Single Story”

Key Concepts: World Systems Theory, Cosmological Perspectivism, Syncretism, Colonialism, Coloniality of Power, Social Construction of Race, Development Studies, White Savior Complex;

04.23.2020. Modernity & Globalization
We discuss the challenges to plurality and difference in a global context.
Materials in preparation to this class:
To Read: Debate on Speculative Critical Design; “Is Humanitarian Design the New Imperialism?”; “White Savior Industrial Complex” // Counterargument: In Defence of Voluntourism

Key Concepts: Assimilation vs Integration vs Acculturation
Exercises: [Student-led Provocation Session]

Week VII — Module 6: Gender, Sex and Sexuality

Due Sunday 04.26 EOD : Reflection on Race, Ethnicity and Culture including your curated artifact with a reflection of your selection. If you were a provocateur, you should submit your Provocation assignment as your reflection instead.

04.28.2020. The Second Sex
The history of the various waves of feminism are introduced, and the work of feminist scholars like Gloria Anzaldúa, Simone de Beauviour, Carol Hanisch, and Maria Lugones.
Materials in preparation to this class:
Watch: The meaning of life according to Simone de Beauvoir

Key Concepts: Biology, Gender and Sexuality, Feminism, Gender Binaries, Equality, Radical, Liberation, & Pro-Sex Feminisms, Black Feminism, Latino Feminism, Asian American Feminism

04.30.2020. Materializing Gender
We discuss the social construction of masculinity and femininity through technology looking at specific cases from the history of technology development.
Materials in preparation to this class:
To Read: Chapter 7 “The Plough Hypothesis” from Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men”, Caroline Criado Perez and “Design Justice, A.I., and Escape from the Matrix of Domination,” Sasha Costanza-Chock

Key Concepts: Social Construction of Technology, Material Construction of Gender, Gendered Technologies
Exercises: [Student-led Provocation Session]

Due Sunday 05.03 EOD : Reflection on Gender, Sex and Sexuality including your curated artifact with a reflection of your selection. If you were a provocateur, you should submit your Provocation assignment as your reflection instead.

Assessing Criteria and Coursework

Assignments will be graded according to a rubric containing specific criteria based on the tasks to complete and the expectations for each assignment. Rubrics, and further assignment specifications will be communicated when each assignment is presented through an assignment sheet to offer guidance on how to approach the task at hand. In the case of the provocation, the discussion you facilitate in-class will lead to the generation of takeaways for completing your assignment. For the remaining assignments, you will be expected to work on them for homework . There are two graded components for the course: weekly reflections (50%) and provocation (50%).

Provocations/Discussions (50%):

On Thursdays, we will have a short lecture followed by 50-minute provocation sessions. In a provocation session, you will be divided into groups, and one member will be assigned as “provocateur,” or discussion leader for that session. Each student will be given one chance to run a group discussion (i.e. provocation). It is the responsibility of the provocateur to come with a provocation (a set of questions, a theme, or an issue) that prompts a discussion on the module.

Instead of a weekly reflection for that week, for 50% of the final grade, it is the responsibility of the provocateur to:

• Bring a provocation to class: an issue, a question or questions, an object, a case study, or a theme with several examples, that relates to the module we are covering
• Guide a discussion among the other team members and collect a set of at least 3 insights
• At the end of class, present one insight gained from the discussion

Submit a writeup to our shared Box folder under “Student Submissions” containing:

• 1) what the provocation was
• 2) a brief summary of what was discussed among the group
• 3) a list of at least 3 takeaways from the discussion
• 4) include documentation of all facilitation materials used during the discussion

The writeup and any other materials should be submitted to Box by 11:59 pm on the Sunday following the discussion session. For further details, please go to the assignment sheet.

Weekly Reflections (50%): [5 reflections in total, each worth 10%]

For every module, you will reflect on the concepts we’ve covered over the week and how you relate to them, trying to relate them to contemporary issues in design. The point of the reflections is not to describe what we did or covered that week, but to reflect upon your own reactions and thoughts on the things you’ve learned — how do you relate to the concepts and issues raised in class? Suggested topics to write about are:

• How themes addressed in the recommended films and readings influence your understanding of the concepts, concerns, and issues we touch upon in class.
• Thursday discussion sessions (see “Provocations” section above) and insights gained from the discussion.
• How the topics covered prompt you to reflect on your own identity as a person, past experiences, or projects you have worked on.
• How the module challenges your conceptions of design or how it influences your goals as a designer.
• How you reconcile the differing views presented in the readings and where you stand

Artifact Curation: In order to begin thinking about how these aspects of difference relate to your own life and to design, starting March 24, you must also reference one or more artifacts of difference in each of your reflections. In doing this, you will curate a collection of artifacts that touch on five areas of difference discussed throughout the course of the mini. In curating these artifacts, we want to highlight the ways in which the designed world around us plays an important role in enforcing aspects of difference, shaping personal histories and identities, and enabling particular futures, oftentimes in ways we may not immediately recognize.

In each reflection, you should include a photo, video, or audio recording of a personal artifact that relates to the topic of the previous week along with a brief explanation of what it is and how it connects to the topic at hand. We would like you to carefully curate a collection of at least five artifacts that:

• Collectively tell a cultural autobiographical story touching on all six aspects of difference discussed throughout the course of the mini: 1) identity; 2) class & labor; 3) politics & power; 4) faith & belief; 5) race, ethnicity, and culture; and 6) gender, sex, and sexuality. One artifact may only address one aspect of difference (such as ethnicity), and another artifact may address more than one (such as both power and belief), but collectively, the artifacts must touch on all six aspects of difference.
• May include photographs, audio recordings, video, newspaper or magazine articles, food, technological devices, personal items, or documents. You may also design/create your own artifact if it does not already exist.
• Reflect your personal life journey — past, present, and future
• May honor ancestry, family struggles, and triumphs, as well as contributions of different family members (Pulido 2002)

Each reflection should be around 500–800 words. Please submit your reflections to this Box folder by Sunday at 11:59pm. By the end of the semester, you should have 5 reflections in total, each worth 10% of your grade. For further details, please go to the assignment sheet.

Policies

Attendance and lateness
Attendance involves being punctual and arriving just before the class start time so we can begin sessions promptly, as well as staying for the duration of each class. Your learning and work — especially group work — will be adversely affected by the information and activities you miss if you are not in class, therefore, absences of any kind are strongly discouraged. Since this is a mini, two absences may cause your final grade to drop a letter. Three absences may earn you a failing grade for the course.

Please schedule doctor’s appointments, interviews, etc. for times other than class sessions. In the event of encountering a health or life issue that requires missing class, students should inform the instructors — preferably in advance. Please notify us as soon as possible to provide an idea of the severity of your illness/issue and the length of time needed for recovery. Keep in mind, you are responsible for information you miss through absences or lateness. (Note: If your illness/issue requires recovery time that exceeds the absence policy for a passing grade, a leave of absence may need to be considered. If this becomes the case consultation with university resources on how best to support you may be necessary).

Participation
Being a designer is about engaging with the people you are designing for/with and the members of your design team. Therefore, in a course like this concerned with reflecting in the various forms of difference, participation is fundamental. To participate, you must be present physically and mentally. This is what participation means in our class:

• Attending class consistently
• Arriving on time
• Thoughtful engagement in class activities and discussions
• Providing respectful, constructive feedback and fostering an environment where everyone has the opportunity to speak
• Active involvement in provocation discussions by expressing your point of view and experiences

It is important to note that we understand verbal participation is easier for some than others. We seek to create a safe and supportive space for you to participate and are happy to accommodate all learning styles and provide alternative means to participate as needed. Feel free to communicate and discuss all questions and concerns regarding participation.

Late/Make-up work
Completing work on time is extremely important in the workplace, you may lose an important client if your work is submitted late, hence, the importance of establishing best practices. In the case of this class, since most assignments build upon each other submitting work on time is a crucial aspect for staying on track with coursework and obtaining timely feedback. Due dates for every assignment are provided on the course syllabus and course schedule. Unless otherwise stated, assignments are due on those days at midnight and should be submitted on our shared Box folder under “Student Submissions.” However, we recognize that sometimes “life happens.” In these instances, you must have prior permission from the instructor to submit work late and/or adequate evidence of unforeseeable circumstances, such as a sudden illness.

It is important that you talk to us if you have any issue submitting an assignment, otherwise, point deductions will occur for any assignment submitted after the deadline. An assignment turned in a day late, will be eligible for 90% of the assignment’s grade; for two days late, it will only be eligible for 80%; after three days, the assignment will be only eligible for 70% of your grade and we must meet to talk about it. If you experience extenuating circumstances (e.g. illness or injury, death/funeral, travel, psychological distress, too many overlapping deadlines in other classes) that prohibit you from submitting your assignments on time, please let us know. We will evaluate these instances on a case-by-case basis.

Academic Integrity
Students are responsible for producing original academic work. Since most of the assignments in this course are team-based, a high degree of collaboration is expected. Here are some examples of acceptable — and encouraged — collaboration:

• Clarifying ambiguities on class worksheets or lectures
• Discussing or explaining class materials
• Discussing assignments to better understand them.
• Obtaining feedback on work-in-progress assignments
• Using sources of information to inform your process: search results, design examples, news sources, scholarly papers, personal contacts, and outside faculty. These sources of information must be acknowledged with specific footnotes or hyperlinks in a way that a reader/viewer can find them. If cutting and pasting content from elsewhere, quotation marks should be used.

On the flip side, here are some examples of clear cases of cheating:

• Copying a Medium post or any other piece of literature word for word
• Getting help from someone whom you do not acknowledge on your reflection or provocation
• Attempting to alter or erase grading information
• Inappropriately obtaining course information from instructors and TA
• Copying any course materials from previous years

Additionally, it is the responsibility of students to know and follow the university’s policies for academic integrity and to learn the procedures specific to their discipline for correctly and appropriately differentiating their own work from that of others. Compromising your academic integrity may lead to serious consequences, including failure of the assignment, failure of the course, or more significant disciplinary action with the university. For a clear description of what counts as plagiarism, cheating, and/or the use of unauthorized sources, please see the University’s Policy on Academic Integrity (revised in April 2013): https://www.cmu.edu/policies/student-and-student-life/academic-integrity.html

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
If you have a disability and have an accommodation letter from the Disability Resources office, we encourage you to discuss your accommodations and needs with me as early in the semester as possible. We will work with you to ensure that accommodations are provided as appropriate. If you suspect that you may have a disability and would benefit from accommodations but are not yet registered with the Office of Disability Resources, we encourage you to contact them at access@andrew.cmu.edu.

Instructors’ absences
In the event that the instructor will miss class entirely, a notice will be posted in the classroom and/or by email indicating activities for making use of class time and for the next week’s assignment.

Take care of yourself
Do your best to maintain a healthy lifestyle this semester by eating well, exercising, avoiding drugs and alcohol, getting enough sleep and taking some time to relax. This will help you achieve your goals and cope with stress.

All of us benefit from support during times of struggle. There are many helpful resources available on campus and an important part of the college experience is learning how to ask for help. Asking for support sooner rather than later is almost always helpful.

If you or anyone you know experiences any academic stress, difficult life events, or feelings like anxiety or depression, we strongly encourage you to seek support. Counseling and Psychological Services (CaPS) is here to help: call 412–268–2922 and visit their website at http://www.cmu.edu/counseling/. Consider reaching out to a friend, faculty or family member you trust for help getting connected to the support that can help. If you or someone you know is feeling suicidal or in danger of self-harm, call someone immediately, day or night:

• CaPS: 412–268–2922
• Re:solve Crisis Network: 888–796–8226

If the situation is life threatening, call the police:

• On campus: CMU Police: 412–268–2323
• Off campus: 911