What if caring for people were the central design principle of our social, economic and political relations and structures? Evolving social norms, demographic changes, political polarization and instability, othering, and public health and environmental disasters have shifted how we care for each other in diverse contexts - families, communities, organizations and across cultures. In this hybrid seminar and studio, we will critically examine the many facets of the global care crisis, harnessing design to imagine and realize new futures and practices to address care disparities and to bridge societal divides. Students will select a care focus (loneliness/isolation, intergenerational connection, caregiving, disability, bias of different forms, group and interpersonal conflict, etc.) and work individually or in small groups on a semester-long care intervention using methods and ideas drawn from strategic design, social practice art and alternative economies. Such interventions may include services, experiences, campaigns, economic models, or products. We will draw upon interdisciplinary readings and case studies from both scholars and practitioners (designers, artists, activists, civic leaders, social scientists, and policymakers) working in the space of care around the world.

Business models have been blamed for the fall of democracy, the poor mental health of teens, and the rise of surveillance capitalism. In this course, students explore mental frames we use to describe how organizations create value, and why entrepreneurial ventures continue to perpetuate cycles of inequity through status-quo startup methods and financing mechanisms. Students will learn how to center the core value of an organization to provide for the unmet needs of a community. Additional explorations will widen the description of entrepreneurial organizations to include cooperative structures, collectives, community benefit organizations, and other nonprofits, collaboratives, and public benefit companies. Through discussion, analysis, community-engaged research, and financial modeling, students move towards designing a business model and fundraising plan that creates and shares value toward more equitable outcomes.

This course offers a design driven approach to examining the intersection of community engagement and the arts with a focus on the New York City cultural landscape. In order to remain relevant, arts organizations must now use their arenas in part for causes related to social justice, as well as civic and community engagement. In a world with an ever changing cultural and socio-political landscape, can art and design induce social change? Students in this course will be exposed to a variety of foundational civic and community engagement programs in the arts that have been designed over the last 20 years. Additionally, students will have the opportunity to hear from arts leaders and cultural activists in NYC, who will share strategies for building relationships and working with various communities toward leading engagement efforts that incorporate a multidisciplinary artistic landscape. Students will be exposed to artistic leaders in the field and will experience community based artistic public programs. Over the course of the semester, students will research a select group of arts organizations in NYC which are currently deploying civic and community engagement programs. Based on findings, students will select one organization to focus on and will then design a civic or community engagement program in alignment with the organization’s mission. As a culminating project, leaders from each selected organization will attend class so that students can pitch their newly designed engagement programs to a slate of artistic leaders.

The course focuses on “change management” from an asset-based, strengths-based leadership perspective; it provides an overview of the tools, theories, and stories of appreciative inquiry and demonstrates how these tools can be used immediately in any project leadership role strategic designers may be engaged in. Finally, the “lab” project-based dimension of the course invites students to explore and apply the AI method in an organizational setting with a project they will be expected to carry out for an organization that will be preselected by the faculty member before the start of the course.

This graduate seminar course presents an exploration of ongoing research into the origins of human behavior and of ways that behavior can be influenced through the design of artifacts, environments, and choices. How can designers increase their effectiveness and impact through an understanding of human motivation and the formation of habits? What moral or legal limits should govern the use of behavioral research by designers seeking to influence others? The course will enable students to situate their studio work in a robust conceptual framework and to balance efficacy and ethics in their development of products and services.

Digital technologies have been transforming and disrupting multiple facets of businesses, societies, and policies, from individuals' perceptions and practices, to organizations' structures and cultures, to local and global communities, to industry ecosystems and regulatory landscapes. This course investigates the strategic impact of different established and emerging technologies, such as online streaming, e-commerce, mobile computing, fintech, and artificial intelligence, on both private and public organizations from diverse sectors and economies worldwide. Taking a strategic perspective on digital technology and design, the course encompasses a portfolio of case studies, articles, and discussions on strategic decisions in diverse real-life scenarios. The goal of the course is to equip students with the analytical frameworks, concepts, theories, and mindsets for strategically analyzing, conceptualizing, organizing, managing, and leading technology- and design-related projects and initiatives in today's complex and ever-changing global business, social, and policy environments.