DESIGN THINKING FOR SOCIAL CHANGE (FTRS-3400)

We live in a world of day-to-day experience that is largely of its own making; technologies buildings, products, institutions, services, brand, and experiences all clamor for our attention. Every one of them has been created by someone with intention, by design. The question we must ask is whether it is designed well, equitably, justly, beautifully, or not. Design thinking is a framework for skilled human-centered designpractice that can be applied to any kind of artifact, including organizations, ventures, services, and products intended to drive positive social change. You will be introduced to design thinking, its origins and theoretical underpinnings, and the specific discipine known as design for social impact. You will learn by collaborating on a creative challenge drawn from your own experience. You will learn to see the world through a design lens, and begin to explore a theological understanding of creative praxis as integral to spiritual formation. [Auditors With Faculty Permission]