SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION

CMNS 354-4

Ellen Balka	Fall 2002
RCB 6229; 291-3764	Burnaby Day
Email: ebalka@sfu.ca

COMMUNICATION AND SOCIAL ISSUES IN DESIGN

This course can be used as an upper division elective in Communication, and has been approved as an upper division elective in Computer Science, Engineering (as an approved complementary studies elective in the “OTHER” category) and Kinesiology.

It is recommended for:
- Communications students interested in technology and society;
- Kinesiology students in the human factors/ergonomics stream,
- Computer Science and Engineering students interested in usability and the social implications of their work.

Prerequisites:

60 credits, including any ONE of the following courses, or instructor’s permission.
Communication: CMNS 253;
Computer Science: CMPT 275;
Engineering: ENSC 100;
Kinesiology: KIN 201 or 205.
Students requiring permission should contact instructor with information about his/her GPA, other related courses taken, and provide a rationale for why pre-requisite should be waived.

Course Description:

This course will explore social issues and values in designing technology, through a focus on both the objects and processes of design. Emphasis will be placed on communication between participants in the design process, and identification of social issues and values that influence design. Lab exercises will emphasize making decisions that occur during the design process explicit , and making values that enter into design processes explicit.

Topics will include:
arts, craft, innovation and design;
the design process as a social and communicative process;
cultural factors in design;
communicating across disciplinary boundaries;
the use of representations in the design process;
universal design;
sex, gender and design;
environmental considerations in design and green design;
ergonomic considerations in design;
user involvement in the design process.

Required texts:

Margolin, V. And Buchanan, R. (1995). The idea of design: A design issues reader. MIT Press: Cambridge.
Balka, E. (1998). (Ed.). Custom Course Reader and Lab Manual: Communication and Social Issues in Design, 1999. SFU Bookstore.
Norman, D.A. (1988). The Design of Everyday Things. New York: Bantam/Doubleday.

Highly Recommended:

Orr, J. (1996). Talking about machines: An ethnography of a modern job. Cornell: Ithaca, N.Y.

Course Format:

The course will consist of weekly 2 hour lectures, and 2 hour labs. Lectures will be used to introduce students to a range of topics. Labs will be used to give students practical experience addressing the topics introduced during lectures. Students will work together in small groups (ideally 3 students, though 4 may be permissible) during labs, and will complete a variety of exercises designed to complement lecture topics.

Assignment Structure:

Students will be evaluated on a combination of individual and group assignments.
Type of Assignment Approximate Due Date % of grade

Individual assignments:

In class mid-term Week 6 20%
Lab Exercise Week 11 10%
Portion of final paper 1 week after class 10%
Class and lab participation Ongoing 15%
Group Assignments:
Design Brief Week 9 20%
Final Paper and Project 1 week after last class 25%

The School expects that the grades awarded in this course will bear some reasonable relation to established university-wide practices to both levels and distribution of grades. In addition, the School will also follow Policy T10.02 with respect to “Intellectual Honesty” and “Academic Discipline” (see the current Calendar, General Regulations Section).