ISKM82 Systemic thinking and design

Faculty of Arts
Autumn 2024
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 3 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).
Synchronous online teaching
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Kristina Jamrichová, Ph.D. (lecturer), Mgr. Roman Sellner Novotný (deputy)
Guaranteed by
PhDr. Ladislava Zbiejczuk Suchá, Ph.D.
Department of Information and Library Studies – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Mgr. Alice Lukavská
Supplier department: Department of Information and Library Studies – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
each odd Tuesday 14:00–17:40 VP, except Mon 18. 11. to Sun 24. 11.
Prerequisites (in Czech)
TYP_STUDIA(N)
Výuka probíhá a je z většiny realizována na Fakultě výtvarných umění VUT!! Budova U2, učebna 330.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 10 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 10/10, only registered: 3/10
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 7 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
The course will introduce students to systems thinking and provide them with tools through which they can reflect and reconfigure their own practice.
Learning outcomes
Upon completion of the course, students should be able to:
- Recognize and name the systems in which they live and implement their practice.
- Go to the root of the problems in the analytical part of the design process.
- Define the points at which it is possible to intervene in the system and think about ways of transcending it.
Syllabus
  • In the field of design, the term "wicked problems" has been coined to refer to extremely complex problems such as climate change, mass extinction of species or persistent poverty, where a large number of interrelated factors create the impression that they cannot be solved. In this course, the term will be unlearned by connecting it to systems thinking, through which students will learn to view the contemporary world.
  • Each teaching block will consist of a combination of theoretical lecture and seminar part. The seminar part will include representatives from academia and non-profit organizations who are involved in the application of systems thinking in practice. The seminar part will be reserved for discussion and group work with systems thinking models and tools.
  • 1. Introduction. Systems thinking for design.
  • 2. Design as politics.
  • 3. Wicked problems X Systems thinking.
  • 4. Foresight methods. Future scenarios and pathways to sustainability.
  • 5. A critique of economic growth as an example of systems thinking.
  • 6. Climate crisis and resilience design.
Literature
  • FRY, Tony. Design as politics. Bloomsbury, 2010. ISBN 9781847885685
  • HICKEL, Jason. Less is more : how degrowth will save the world. First published in paperback. London: Windmill, 2021, xv, 320. ISBN 9781786091215. info
  • EASTERLING, Keller. Medium design : knowing how to work on the world. First published. London: Verso, 2021, xi, 157. ISBN 9781788739320. info
  • RAWORTH, Kate. Ekonomie koblihy : sedm způsobů ekonomického myšlení pro 21. století. První vydání v českém j. Praha: Družstevní nakladatelství IDEA, 2020, 311 stran. ISBN 9788090777514. info
  • MEADOWS, Donella H. Thinking in systems : a primer. Edited by Diana Wright. 1st print. White River Junction, Vt.: Chelsea Green Publishing Company, 2008, xiii, 218. ISBN 9781603580557. info
  • The idea of design : a design issues reader. Edited by Victor Margolin - Richard Buchanan. Fourth printing. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press, 2000, xxii, 285. ISBN 0262631660. info
Teaching methods
Lectures, seminars involving guided discussions on pre-assigned topics or texts and group work on sub-tasks.
The course is taught in blocks (2 hours lecture, 2 hours seminar). Minimum attendance is 75%.
Assessment methods
The following conditions are set for the award of credit/examination:
- Compulsory attendance - 75% attendance (attendance at a minimum of 4 blocks out of 6)
- Colloquium - presentation of own practice in the context of the systems thinking of the rest of the group.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2022, Autumn 2023.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/autumn2024/ISKM82