Design Culture in Istanbul

An Investigation Through Photography

COURSE DESIGNATOR ISTN 3XXXLanguage of InstructionEnglish

NUMBER OF CREDITS 3 creditsContact Hours45 hours

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course focuses on how design has shaped and is shaping the modern global city of Istanbul. Over the six-week course, we have the opportunity for an immersion in one of the great cities of the world, multi-layered and historic as well as contemporary and forward-looking. We will be investigating both the design legacy of the city (and its vicinity) and contemporary design expression in the modern city. The course theme is that design thinking and design expression is central to the well being of the city, and students will pick their own area of investigation of design in relation to this theme.

As well as site visits and research, students will use photography throughout the course to document their investigation of design and to record their interactions with the culture. After an introduction to the city's great legacy of design culture and also the Design Study Tour of Western Turkey, students will initiate a self-directed investigation into an aspect of local design. Each student will choose a topic and will use photography in conjunction with writing to reflect on design’s role in the formation of the culture of the city and to express their own design sensibility through this medium.

In this term project, students will address individually how the material culture of Turkish design is about how designed objects, surfaces, and spaces throughout the city reflect the society for which they were created and express the aesthetic preoccupations and inter-relationships between the design disciplines and the careers of the designers and artists. Examples of possible term project formats: photo essay, web site, book, portfolio.

The six-week course will structured as follows:

Weeks one through two: Immersion in design expressions in the city through excursions, lectures, and exploration of the life of the city. Introduction to photography workshop.

Weeks three through four: Study tour to Western Turkey and focus on identifying study topic.

Weeks five through six: Focus on research, photography, and writing on individual term projects, and final exhibition and course review.

INSTRUCTOR

James Boyd Brent

COURSE GOAL

  • To learn about the design culture of Istanbul through lectures and site visits in the city.
  • To develop skills in visual documentation and expression in photography.
  • To initiate a self-directed investigation into an aspect of local design.
  • To create a photographic portfolio/presentation of work on this topic.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Can locate and critically evaluate information:

In this course students will learn about the history of design and culture in Istanbul from a chronological perspective. They will also learn to find and create their own meanings from their sites visits and research. So they will be investigators of design and its cultural significance not just learners of a design history canon.

This SLO will be evaluated through their visual research and photographic presentation.

Have mastered a body of knowledge and a mode of inquiry:

The particular mode of enquiry in this course will be investigative: students will learn to uncover design histories in the city and will therefore be actively engaged in creating knowledge.

This SLO will be evaluated a 5 page paper in which students summarize their own creative visual photographic project, tying it to design and cultural antecedents.

Understand diverse philosophies and cultures within and across societies:

During the course students will reflect on their own experience of design in their home base in the US and reflect on comparison with their experiences of design in Turkey. This cultural understanding will be measured in two short essays on the subset of cross-cultural design understanding.

MATERIALS

Sketchbook/journal, digital camera

WORKLOAD

Nine hours contact class time for the first four weeks. Outside of class time over the six-week course: approximately 60 hours. Four written essays, two journal projects, two photography projects, and Term Project (consisting of presentation of chosen topic in photo essay, web site, book, or portfolio format)

GRADING

Normal University of Minnesota grading structures apply (A-F)

Projects will be graded throughout the semester. Factors in grading include:

Criteria: how successfully the specific objectives of the assignment have been fulfilled.

Concept: ideas behind the work, creative problem solving, creativity.

Craft: technique, neatness, care in making & execution of work.

Bonus: rare bonus for taking risks that may or may not achieve desired results, evidence of pushing limitations regardless of risk of failure.

The overall grade for the semester is determined by adding up the points accrued in each project. Roughly 10% of the final grade will be for class participation, which will be determined by the quality of class contribution and participation by each student.

CRITERIA FOR GRADING AND GRADING STANDARDS

Grading Rubric
A / 93-100 / Achievement that is outstanding relative to the level necessary to meet course requirements.
A- / 90-92 / Achievement that is significantly above the level necessary to meet course requirements.
B+ / 87-89
B / 83-86
B- / 80-82 / Achievement that meets the course requirements in every respect.
C+ / 77-79
C / 73-76
C- / 70-72 / Achievement that is worthy of credit even though it fails to meet fully the course requirements.
D+ / 67-69
D / 60-66
F / 0-59 / Represents failure (or no credit) and signifies that the work was either (1) completed but at a level of achievement that is not worthy of credit or (2) was not completed and there was no agreement between the instructor and the student that the student would be awarded an I.

CLASS SCHEDULE

WEEK 1
Introduction: walking in the city.
Lecture: design history.
Photography workshop (photography as a means of visual documentation and photography as an expressive visual medium: formal aspects of the medium such as lighting, composition, etc.)
Assignments: Design history essay.
Journal and photography review.
WEEK2
site visits in the city and designer studio visits. Continuing study of Turkish design.
Assignments: Contemporary design essay
Journal and photography review.
WEEK3
Study tour of Western Turkey
Assignments: Essay on design in Western Turkey
Journal project and photography project.
WEEK4
Recap. Immersion in design in Istanbul through lectures in contemporary design and gallery visits. Identify individual term project subjects.
Assignments: Course project development: outline and draft proposal
Related Journal project and photography project.
WEEK5
Conduct self-directed research, writing, and photography for term project subject.
WEEK6
Create final presentation (photo essay, web site, book, or portfolio).

Schedule: M, W, and F: 9 a.m. to noon. Classes run for four weeks, from Monday May 23rd to Friday June 17th.

Monday June 20th to Friday July 1st: self-directed work on Term Project

Friday July 1st: Project exhibition/presentation and final review.

ATTENDANCE POLICY

Students are expected to attend all classes, be on time and remain for full class session. Students will be prepared for all class sessions and participate in discussions and critiques.In case of unavoidable absence, inform instructor and make up assignment by obtaining information from other students.Missing two class sessions may result in a lower grade. Missing three-four class sessions may result in failure of the course.

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

Academic integrity is essential to a positive teaching and learning environment. All students enrolled in University courses are expected to complete coursework responsibilities with fairness and honesty. Failure to do so by seeking unfair advantage over others or misrepresenting someone else’s work as your own, can result in disciplinary action. The University Student Conduct Code defines scholastic dishonesty as follows:

SCHOLASTIC DISHONESTY:

Scholastic dishonesty means plagiarizing; cheating on assignments or examinations; engaging in unauthorized collaboration on academic work; taking, acquiring, or using test materials without faculty permission; submitting false or incomplete records of academic achievement; acting alone or in cooperation with another to falsify records or to obtain dishonestly grades, honors, awards, or professional endorsement; altering forging, or misusing a University academic record; or fabricating or falsifying data, research procedures, or data analysis.

Within this course, a student responsible for scholastic dishonesty can be assigned a penalty up to and including an “F” or “N” for the course. If you have any questions regarding the expectations for a specific assignment or exam, ask.

STUDENT CONDUCT

The University of Minnesota has specific policies concerning student conduct and student needs. This information can be found on the Learning Abroad Center website.

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