Values, Norms and Biases in Design
The Royal Danish Academy, the PhD School
Language
English
Coordinator
Kirsten Marie Raahauge
Other lecturers
Prof. Alison J Clarke, Vienna University of Applied Arts (master)
Associate prof. Masashi Kaijita
Associate prof. Ane Pilegaard
Course description
The course consists of three elements:
A one-day seminar with an excursion, small lectures, and debates, where all the teachers are involved.
A one-day study circle with presentations of texts by the students and discussions of themes and texts in plenum.
A one-day seminar with presentation of papers by the ph.d.-students, commented by Alison Clarke, and discussed by all the teachers, ending with a lecture by Alison Clarke
The making and shaping of the human environments are never value neutral. Shaping the life conditions for humans, design, architecture, and planning creates the material and spatial conditions under which humans re-reproduce values, norms, social relations and cultural contexts. To design something is to create the fertile grounds for human practices and activities; design both reflects and transforms its societal context. Either this relationship is overlooked, or it is simply presented as an a-priori positive relationship. Design and normativity are inseparable as are the positive and negative outcomes for humans within such frames.
The course has three levels: First, it offers an operational framing of critical-creative theories and concepts from the humanities, social sciences, and critical design thinking. Secondly, these are illustrated on cases drawn from the research of the lecturers and reaches across from design studies over interior and domestic design to questions of critical disability studies. Thirdly, the course also requires participants to present their research projects within the framing of ‘design and normativity’; they will be given detailed feedback from the lecturers.
Dates
26.11.-28.11.
Venue
Holmen
ECTS
4
Application deadline
31st August 2025, the course will be open for applications six months prior to the course date(s)
A paper of 1.000-1.500 words and an image should be submitted in RUM, deadline 10th of October. Papers and images should be addressing the theme of the course as well as the focus of the PhD-project. Length: 1.000-1.500 words + an image. One can apply via https://katalog.kglakademi.dk/phdtilmeld.php