Department of Design, School of Design Design Futures Course

Curriculum

Fields of Study

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  Art and Design

  Develop a vision for the future with rich sensibilities and ideas, and acquire knowledge and skills to realize it

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  Social Futures

  Learn theories and methods for understanding the environment, society, and humankind to envision a desirable future

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  Biology and Information Science

  Learn how to understand natural and social phenomena from a mathematical science perspective and the mechanisms behind the phenomena of life

• 1 st year

  

  Acquire basic knowledge to forge new design fields

  Through KIKAN Education Subjects, students will acquire the following abilities. (1) The ability to identify problems on their own and tackle them creatively and critically. (2) The ability to interchange diverse knowledge and solve problems collaboratively. (3) The ability to communicate and absorb information effectively by interacting with the world at large through expressing themselves in writing, presenting and engaging in discussions. Through Science Discipline Subjects, students will gain an understanding of various concepts in mathematical and information sciences and acquire the intellectual ability to explain natural science and social phenomena based on these theories. In the Design Literacy Subjects, students will learn about specific knowledge, concepts, ideas, and methods of design that serve as the foundation for design.

• 2 nd year

  

  In order to envision what society will be like in the near future, acquire knowledge of the history and theory of art, technology, and thought

  By taking subjects unique to this course, which consist of the three fields of Art and Design, Social Futures, and Biology and Information Science, students will be able to understand and explain the following.
  (1) Theory, philosophy, and history of Art and Design, as well as various expressive techniques and their effects.
  (2) Diversity, sustainability and social research methods necessary to envision a desirable future society.
  (3) Basic concepts and design methods of algorithms and data structures, important concepts and theories in information science.
  (4) Observations and experiments from the perspective of the commonality and diversity of life phenomena and evolution.
  

• 3 rd year

  

  Exposure to new knowledge and experience in specialized field

  Students will be able to participate in cutting-edge design activities in the world by learning specialized fields in English to utilize their skills.
  By collecting information on diverse phenomena in nature and society using the scientific method and analyzing it from a mathematical and scientific approach, students will be able to identify the characteristics of these phenomena.
  In Design Subjects, students will be able to visualize concepts and design, plan, and implement them in accordance with design methodologies.
  In Course Exercises Subjects, students will be able to create new designs that envision the future through the integration and logical assembly of concepts, knowledge, ideas, and methods of the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, information sciences, and artistic expression, without being bound by existing concepts.
  

• 4 th year

  

  Cultivate the ability to envision and design the future

  In the Senior Projects and Internship Subjects, students will envision a better future with a rich imagination and deep insight and aim to realize it (social implementation) through design and practice.
  In the Transdisciplinary subjects, students will be able to discover, propose, and solve complex social issues through collaboration with different disciplines while comprehensively utilizing their specialized knowledge.