This morning I attended the first course presentations that we are piloting within SDS (The School of Design Strategies at Parsons). For those of you who don't know SDS is home to the Foundation (FND), Design and Management (D&M), Environmental Studies (ES), and Integrated Design Curriculum (IDC) Programs.
For this event three IDC courses were selected but mark your calendars for March when we will be announcing an expanded program of presentations that will include presentations chosen from all of the SDS programs... and
before registration!!
Read about each presentation and take a gander at the very excellent video produced by Lara Penin and Savi Lopez for the Next_F course
after the jump.
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CORE COLL: Urban Interventions
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This course looks great! Check out the links for each instructor and you'll see that these two are already acclaimed artists from very different fields. Ben and Jim made some great comments in their presentation this may be my favorite "In order to conceive what a city should be you must understand what it was."
The site for this course is Union Square and the goal is to "allow students to envision a different Union Square" that supports the progressive, public, and activitist history that the square has enjoyed since its inception. Students will be looking at key elements that 'make' in the square such as scales, signage, and foliage to uncover what gives it its power and prominence.
I sense a distinct activist angle here and any students who want to learn about the role of the artist in creating the city should definitely check this course out!
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CORE COLL: Next_F Studio
PUIC 2000
Faculty: Lara Penin (scroll down to see bio)
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An amazing course and a really amazing opportunity to do work on a challenging project that deserves the attention of caring and creative thinkers (hint: YOU).
Did you know that 1 out of every 100 Americans are incarcerated? ... Neither did I until I heard Lara Penin and Savitra Lopez talk about the Next_F studio. This course has been developed in close partnership with the Fortune Society, an NFP devoted to helping previously incarcerated individuals re-enter society in a way that allows them to thrive and avoid the all too common pitfalls of the 'ex-con'.
The primary assets of this course are a focus on three critical areas of the growing SDS culture;
- Service Design
- Social Innovation
- Design with not Design for
Just watch the video (coming soon) and I think you'll see my point.
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CORE COLL: Smart Cities
PUIC 2000
It should be abundantly clear at this point that we have an incredibly rich faculty at The New School. SDS is particularly diverse and I am so excited to be part of this group. It is a real honor.
Ivan is a visiting scholar from the faculty of architecture at the University of Belgrade and lives up to the claim. His course this term will investigate the problem of 'the border'. What border you ask? ... All borders. From the velvet rope that keeps the club cool (even when it doesn't) to the invisible wall that separates Mexico and the United States. Perhaps more locally... where is the border between Chelsea and the West Village? ... and why do we even bother to look for it?!
Seriously, this is a great course for anyone who wants to investigate the design and impact of separation.
Some key points from Ivan's intro;
- What is a border - politically, physically, socially, and organizationally?
- What are the critical problems of 'urban borders'?
- How can we address the 'balkanization' of Manhattan?
- How can we better understand the border implications of our design practices?
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I hope that this small report helps spread the word about this small sample of the great courses happening at Parsons this term. Check back in regularly for other updates about events and ideas. Most importantly - get involved - write for the blog - go to other classes and share your thoughts!
See you in class,
Scott
