Curriculum
The focus of the first year of study is threefold—on design as subject matter, on criticism as a literary genre and on the range of tools with which to practice design criticism. The second year offers the opportunity for specialization both in subject matter and format. Students participate in medium-specific workshops devoted to topics such as producing a radio program or documentary, curating an exhibition, or editing a magazine or blog. They then research and develop a large-scale thesis project that must include a substantial written component, and which may be realized in any format.
The program culminates in an annual public conference, conceived and organized by graduating students, in which they present papers based on their theses, alongside professional design critics and thinkers. Students are required to complete and present the thesis research, which must be reviewed and approved by the thesis committee and the department chair, in order to be eligible for degree conferral.
Degree candidates must successfully complete 64 credits, including all required courses, with a cumulative grade point average of 3.0. A residency of two academic years is required.
First-year Fall Courses |
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|---|---|---|---|
| Day | Time | Course | Instructor |
| Monday | 5:00 pm | Urban Curation |
Karrie Jacobs |
| Tuesday | 1:00 pm | The Critical Imperative | Ralph Caplan |
| Tuesday | 4:30 pm | Writing: Style, Voice and Process | John Cantwell |
| Tuesday | 6:00 pm | Lecture Series | Various |
| Wednesday | 4:00 pm | Design History | Russell Flinchum |
| Thursday | 1:00 pm | Architecture and Urban Design Criticism | Alexandra Lange |
| Thursday | 5:00 pm | The Art of the Interview (weeks 1–6) | Adam H. Levy |
First-year Spring Courses |
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|---|---|---|---|
| Day | Time | Course | Instructor |
| Tuesday | 3:30 pm | Cultural Theory Meets Design (15 weeks) | Meredith TenHoor |
| Tuesday | 6:00 pm | Lecture Series II (15 Weeks) | Various |
| Wednesday | 9:00 am | Researching Design (8 weeks) | Steven Heller |
| Wednesday | 1:00 pm | Criticism Lab/Thesis Development (15 weeks) | Alice Twemlow and Andrea Codrington |
| Thursday | 5:00 p.m. | Radio and Podcast Workshop (15 weeks) | Leital Molad and Kurt Andersen |
| Friday | 3:00 pm | Reading Design (10 weeks) | Akiko Busch |
Second-year Fall Courses |
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|---|---|---|---|
| Day | Time | Course | Instructor |
| Monday | 1:00 pm | Typologies | Phil Patton |
| Monday | 6:00 pm | Cultural Theory Meets Design | Shax Riegler |
| Tuesday | 2:00 pm | Thesis Consultation | Andrea Codrington |
| Tuesday | 6:00 pm | Lecture Series III | Various |
| Wednesday | 5:00 pm | Reporting on Design and Social Change (weeks 8–15) |
Julie Lasky |
| Thursday | 5:00 p.m. | The Art of the Interview (weeks 1–6) | Adam H. Levy |
Second-year Spring Courses |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| Day | Time | Course | Instructor |
| Tuesday | 3:00 pm | Design Criticism Conference Lab (15 weeks) | Alice Twemlow |
| Tuesday | 6:00 pm | Lecture Series IV (15 weeks) | Various |
| Wednesday | 5:30 pm | Collecting Design/ Exhibition Collection and Curation (8 weeks) |
Daniella Ohad Smith/ Paola Antonelli |
| Thursday | 2:00 pm | Thesis I: Research and Writing (7 weeks) | Andrea Codrington Lippke |
| Thursday | 2:00 pm | Thesis II: Applied Thesis Production (7 weeks) | Andrea Codrington Lippke |
| Thursday | 5:00 pm | The Design Book (8 weeks) | Karen Stein |
Course List
- Architecture and Urban Design Criticism
- The Art of the Interview
- The Blogging Workshop
- Collecting Design
- The Critical Imperative
- Criticism Lab
- Cultural Theory Meets Design
- Design Criticism Conference Lab
- Design History
- Exhibition and Collection Curation
- Lecture Series I & II
- The Longest Form: The Design Book
- Radio and Podcast Workshop
- Reading Design
- Reporting on Design and Social Change
- Researching Design (No Google)
- Restaurant Design Review
- Thesis Development
- Taste
- Thesis I: Research and Writing/Thesis Consultation
- Typologies
- Thesis II: Applied Thesis Production and Presentation
- Urban Curation
- Writing: Style, Voice and Process
