DEA 2020

Introduction to Sustainable Design

Course Description

Course information provided by the 2025-2026 Catalog.

This course introduces the histories, concepts, and frameworks that underlie our understanding of sustainability and how they are shaping environmentally conscious design practices - explored through an investigation of materials, processes, products, practices, and material culture. We utilizes exploratory, participatory, and open-ended learning methods to facilitate design inquiry and propose a more environmentally and socially just future.

Enrollment Information Enrollment preference given to: DEA undergraduate majors.

Distribution Requirements (D-HE, LAD-HE)

Exploratory Studies (CU-SBY)

Last 4 Terms Offered 2025FA, 2024FA, 2023FA, 2022FA

Learning Outcomes

• To understand the historical contexts in which the post-industrial concept of sustainability emerged, and its contemporary use as a cross-disciplinary term.
• To understand the underlying physical and social science components that define sustainability on a global scale.
• To explore both the practical and theoretical discourses and actions that shape sustainable design practices.
• To investigate systems of contemporary material culture production using design research and analysis methods.
• To explore, develop, and deploy graphic techniques of information visualization and narrative communication to generate accessible and informative presentations.
• To work effectively with others across multiple disciplines and contribute to critical class discourse and collaborative research.

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