DESIGN
FOR COMMUNITY AND SELF (DCS)
The
structure of the new diploma course called Design for Community and
Self emerged from the learning experiences and outcomes of the Design
Lab. The normative way of engaging with the teaching and practice of
design is to get young people to benefit from the "specialization
route". But does this present the danger of creating professionals
who are adept at solving symptoms but are ill equipped to get down to
root issues? How can the school create professionals equipped to handle
today’s complexities using conceptual energies, methodologies,
tools and skills that can adapt to rapid obsolescence?
The DCS course tackles such questions and is ambitious in its breadth
and depth. It offers to cover a range of 2D and 3D disciplines including
product design, graphics, photography, web, video, sculpture, painting
and new media. The objective is a course that makes students think across
or beyond the confines of any single discipline and enables learning
both in the classroom and on live projects. The diploma promotes the
understanding that the study of art and design must engage with contemporary
debates and issues in society, local and global, and be intertwined
with those intangible qualities/assets such as trust, ethics and well
being which contribute directly to economic wealth creation and culture.
DCS
is now offering:
- 1 year Certificate
- 2 years Professional Diploma
- 3 years Advanced Professional Diploma
download application form
Clarifications
on DCS
The usual design courses offer a student a "specialisation
route".
While this seems to work for some learning styles, the design lab provides
a learning opportunity that is not driven by answers but by questions.
The medium, skills and tools then are learnt to help to find ways of
addressing those questions in creative, inclusive and empowering ways.
The objective of this course is to make students think across or beyond
the confines
of a single discipline. This diploma promotes the understanding that
the study of
art and design must engage with contemporary debates and issues in society,
local andglobal and intertwined with those intangible qualities/assets
such as trust, ethics and well being
which contribute directly to economic wealth creation and culture.
The course has a lot of real life work and research and expects
the students
to be self-directed in their learning styles. It is demanding , challenging
and seeks
to stretch the students comfort zones.
Areas and topics the curriculum will cover
The course is taught around project questions. There are core learning
sites and skill inputs in addition.
The core leanring sites are, Art & Desing Context / Art & Design
Literacy / Community / Environment / Community
Career
path or outcome the candidate can expect after doing this course
At the end of a one year apprenticeship / 2 year programme / 3 year
programme the student will have a more indepth understanding of working
in a facilitative manner with communities. The studnet can then join
an NGO, Public Service organistion, or a exporter or set up a project
to do community work. The differences in the years will only reflect
the experience the student gathers, since most of the key sites will
be covered by all the students in the first year itself.
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