DSGN08067 2019 Research for Design and the Arts I

Identify  a research question and  aligned research method appropriate to the students's field of art/design or media.

Demonstrate critical understanding of contemporary practitioners, theories, concepts, practices and developments pertaining to the area of investigation in a written preliminary literature review.

Articulate a theoretical or conceptual framework that underpins the practical and theoretical characteristics of the enquiry.

Design a research proposal that acknowledges ethical and practical issues.

Competently initiate and negotiate the first iterations/pilot of the applied design research.

The module  is delivered using a combination of lectures and group tutorials, from a ‘live’/streamed teaching space in which both on-site and distance participants can see both each other and the work under discussion. This flexible mode allows both staff and students to interact in small study groups, with the freedom for interaction either on- site or from a distance. 

Assessment during the semester is formative, with (i) tutorials which focus on discrete aspects of the learning outcomes pertinent to the research design phase  and (ii) periodic  presentations and reviews for which students present their entire developing designs.

Short lectures (linked to the learning outcomes) introduce students to related requirements, knowledge and methods of achieving these outcomes. These lectures and related tasks build on the students’ prior knowledge from earlier years.

Summative assessment is at the end of the semester with all outcomes embodied within the design thesis which is presented both graphically and in an accompanying design statement.

Students must resubmit and pass the assignments for this module before completing the module  Research for Arts and Design II.

During this module, students will be introduced to case studies that illuminate a range of innovative research methods and processes appropriate to the culture and practice of design and the arts . A selection of  research precedents will be analysed to identify the issues and processes of research design, including epistemological and methodological contexts, ethical issues and practical concerns.

 Students will identify an area of research that may inform their design thesis or their design dissertation. After developing and presenting a research proposal, students initiate  first research iterations.