Lecture—3 hours; discussion—1 hour. No prerequisites. Priority to Design majors. Global history of design across time, viewed through the lens of the effects of the creation and discovery of new energy sources, processes and materials on design. Not open for credit to students who have taken course 40 or 140.

This course could also be called Critical History for Sustainable Design or History of the Science and Technology of Design. We will cover the history of design production processes based upon changing energy sources and materials over time and across cultures, viewed in the broader context of environmental sustainability and materiality studies. We will explore how design proceeds hand in hand with the creation of technologies that adapt energy and new materials for new purposes. Design areas covered includes all major media, with examples chosen from Western and non-Western cultures and from the ancient past up to the present.