Seminar 5.2 Matters of Life and Death 

This seminar explores historical and contemporary survival strategies and their cultural manifestations.

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Nummer und TypBDE-BDE-T-WP-AK-5012.16H.001 / Moduldurchführung
ModulWahlpflichtmodul Theorie 5. Semester 
VeranstalterDepartement Design
LeitungBjörn Franke
ZeitMo 26. September 2016 bis Mo 12. Dezember 2016 / 17–19 Uhr
Anzahl Teilnehmende8 - 24
ECTS2 Credits
VoraussetzungenInclination to read and prepare the weekly reading assignments and to participate actively in the seminar.
Students from other departements are asked to contact Caroline Oertle:
caroline.oertle@zhdk.ch; Tel: 043 446 32 06 (Monday - Thursday) from the 5 September.
Please indicate: first name, name, semester and main course of studies.
LehrformSeminar
ZielgruppenWahlpflichtmodul für Studierende des DDE, 5. Semester
Lernziele / KompetenzenThe seminar investigates the possibilities for design to investigate and articulate the problems of human survival on an ecological, cultural and personal level. It aims to engage students critically with survival strategies and their cultural manifestations. Furthermore, the seminar will introduce the students to scholarly methods, to explore and evaluate relevant literature and to critically engage with artefacts, texts and films.
InhalteThe long term survival of humans on earth seems to be in jeopardy in the face of massive social, technological and ecological problems. Many are paralysed given the scale of these problems, as they seem to be to large for any individual or collective effort to solve them and are thus postponed to an undetermined future. This is particularly difficult for designers as they are habitually in pursuit of holistic solutions that would solve these problems once and for all. Very much in line with the modernist tradition, these solutions often would involve the redesign of the entire global system of production. An alternative strategy, however, would be not to change the system, but to explore possibilities and strategies for survival by questioning, changing or giving up accustomed ways of living and thinking. In this seminar, we will investigate issues of human survival in a very broad sense based on texts, films and artefacts with a focus on key topics such as shelter, climate, crisis, accidents, escape and foresight.
Bibliographie / LiteraturLiterature will be announced in the seminar.
Leistungsnachweis / TestatanforderungActive and regular attendance (min. 80%), reading and preparing the weekly reading assignments (incl. presentations)
TermineEvery Monday from 26 September until 12 December 2016.
Dauer17:00 bis 19:00 Uhr
BewertungsformNoten von A - F
BemerkungThe seminar will be in English, including discussions, literature and films.
Termine (12)