In this course, students are introduced to the role of critical thinking, research, and writing within the iterative creative process. The course situates design and technology in a cultural context and introduces students to creative practice as a form of research composed of both traditional design competencies, craft skills, and scholarly research. Research and writing assignments are used as pivotal tools, integral to and complementing the conceptualizing, prototyping, testing, and evaluating processes of creative practice. The course aims to create self-reliant, reflective, and respectful design practitioners who are able to use research and writing to further their work and place it in the context of their community and global issues. The course is designed to lay the foundation for critical, research-driven creative practices across disciplines and mediums.