History of Design & Tech: Lec

PLVS 2060 | Fall 2011 | Faculty: Jeffrey Lieber

This course examines the relationship between design and technology circa the 1950s to the present. Architecture and urbanism, game design, graphic design and illustration, integrated design, and interiors will be our touchstones as we explore the 'spectacularization' of technology in the contemporary period. A primary focus of the course will be uncovering the socio-political significance of design and representations of technology in film, television, video, and magazines. Topics may include: the rise of systems and games theory in the 1950s; technotopias of the late 1960s and 1970s; the relationship of design and technology to "Reaganomics" and weapon system discourses; the relationship between technology and death in total design environments; design and technology as the subject of contemporary art and exhibitions; as well as discourses of the past decade, specifically around the issues of ethics, sustainability, and the impact of design and technology on cultural literary. Pathway: Visual Studies