Design Studies (Minor)

Overview

The Design Studies minor is offered through Parsons School of Design.

Design studies views design as a poetic and pragmatic means of shaping the conditions for pursuing social justice, environmental sustainability, and general well-being and pleasure. This minor situates design at the intersection of the humanities and the social sciences by drawing on fields such as philosophy, anthropology, sociology, literature, and the sciences, encouraging students to see design as both reflecting and shaping social values and policies.

This minor requires successful completion of 18 credits across six subject areas, as outlined in the chart below.

Course availability may vary from semester to semester. Some courses may be in development and offered at a later time. Students seeking to pursue alternative coursework to fulfill the minor should consult with their advisors.

Curriculum

Subject Area	Sample Courses	Credits
Design History	PLSD 2100/2101 History of Architecture: Lecture / Recitation PLDS 2190/2191 History of Design: 1850–Present: Lecture / Recitation	3
Methodology	PLDS 2500/2501 Introduction to Design Studies: Lecture / Recitation PLHT 3500 Advanced Research Seminar: Art and Design Practice PLSD 3500 Advanced Research Seminar: Constructed Environments	3
2000-level	Students should select a course or courses from within the PLDS course subject code at the 2000 level.	3
3000-level	Students should select a course or courses from within the PLDS course subject code at the 3000 level. LVIS 3021 Architecture Without Architect PLAH 3018 Grammar: Arts and Argument	3
4000-level	Students should select a course or courses from within the PLDS course subject code at the 4000 level.	3
Studio Practice	Students should select a studio course appropriate to their studio skill and experience. Qualifying courses can be found within subject codes beginning PSxx or PUxx.	3

Learning Outcomes

A student who has completed this minor should be able to demonstrate

• Competence in thinking, speaking, and writing clearly and effectively and communicating with precision, cogency, and rhetorical force
• A strong knowledge of the tools and techniques of scholarship. Active research and the writing of analytical and critical essays should continue throughout the program
• An understanding of the evolution of changing perspectives on, and theories of, design in the 20th and early 21st centuries
• An understanding of the various research methodologies that are employed in design studies, ranging from direct observation to interviews to literature reviews
• Ability to competently articulate an understanding of the cultural issues having to do with gender, race, sustainment, and ethics that bear on design studies
• An understanding of the relevance of fields related to design studies, e.g., material culture, philosophy, anthropology, and sociology
• The ability to competently discuss various design disciplines and practices, from object oriented to system based to community driven, that inform current design studies

Eligibility

Minors are available to all undergraduate students at The New School. For questions regarding this minor's curriculum, including requests for course substitutions, please contact Lingling Ma at mal@newschool.edu.

How to Declare or Change a Minor

General guidelines for declaring a minor are available here. Current students can declare or change a minor by logging in to my.newschool.edu, clicking on the Academics tab, and then clicking on the link to Major/Minor Declarations.