Introduction to Design Anthropology
HDA650Z
Overview
To enrol in this unit, you must be accepted into a course from the provider.
Read before you start
Warning: Mature Content
This unit contains mature content including Adult Themes, Nudity and Sex / Sexual References and may not be suitable for some students. Any student under the age of 16 who would like to enrol in this unit must first complete a Parental Consent Form.
Level of study: What does Postgraduate mean?
Postgraduate
EFTSL: What does EFTSL mean?
0.125
Delivery Method: What does delivery method mean?
Fully Online
Prerequisites: What are the prerequisites?
No
Duration:
13 weeks
Government loans available:
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Domestic student fee:
$2,300.00 (AUD)
International student fee:
$2,525.00 (AUD)
Description
This unit aims to provide you with a basic understanding of the key concepts within the field of design anthropology: the question of what role does design, as both a process and a set of artefacts, play in defining humanness. It explores the relations between physical anthropology and design ergonomics, archaeology and material objects and environments, linguistics and design semiotics, and cultural anthropology and the interpretation of corporate and community dynamics.
Enrolment Restriction
In order to enrol in this unit, you must be accepted into one of the following courses:
If you wish to seek approval to enrol in this unit without being accepted in a course, please contact OUA regarding the process.
Assessment
- Essay (25%)
- Online Discussion 1 — Weekly Concept Blog (15%)
- Online Discussion 2 — Class Discussion Facilitation (10%)
- Paper — Letter of Self-Commitment (25%)
- Presentation — Final Project Presentation (25%)
Learning Outcomes
At the completion of this unit students will be able to:
- explore the concept of humanness as a biological, material (object and environment), symbolic and cultural construct in relationship to design
- delineate the process of design as a general human activity and a specialised practice
- develop and deploy holistic frameworks to inform their design process
- explore the ethical responsibilities of designing for and with people and the environment
- appreciate the concepts of evolution and creativity, material culture, structuralism, poststructuralism and semiotics, and cultural interpretation.
Topics
This unit addresses the following topics.
| Number | Topic |
|---|---|
| 1 | What is design anthropology? |
| 2 | Four fields + practice |
| 3 | Physical anthropology and biological difference |
| 4 | Physical anthropology and design ergonomics |
| 5 | Archaeology and the evolution of creativity |
| 6 | Archaeology, material objects and environments |
| 7 | Linguistics: structuralism and post structuralism |
| 8 | Semiotics of design |
| 9 | Cultural interpretation and design |
| 10 | Cultural meaning and design |
| 11 | Design anthropology as the corporate encounter |
| 12 | Design anthropology as a new way of design being |
Study Resources
This unit is delivered using the following methods and materials:
Instructional Methods
- Blogs
- Chat rooms
- Discussion Forum/Discussion Board
- Embedded Multimedia
- Interactive Games
- Online Quizzes/Tests
- Online assignment submission
- Podcasting/Lecture capture
- Standard Media
- Streaming Multimedia
- Web links
- Wikis
Textbooks are subject to change within the academic year. Students are advised to purchase their books no earlier than one to two months before the start of a unit.
Click on the titles of the listed books below to find out more:
Required textbooks
Recommended textbooks
Relevant Courses
This unit is a core requirement in the following courses:
This unit may be eligible for credit towards other courses:
- Many undergraduate courses on offer through OUA include 'open elective' where any OUA unit can be credited to the course. You need to check the Award Requirements on the course page for the number of allowed open electives and any level limitations.
- In other cases, the content of this unit might be relevant to a course on offer through OUA or elsewhere. In order to receive credit for this unit in the course you will need to supply the provider institution with a copy of the Unit Profile in the approved format, which you can download here. Note that the Unit Profile is set at the start of the year, and if textbooks change this may not match the Unibooks textbook list.
