Design Cultures

Elena Shapira
Institute of Studies in Art and Art Education, Cultural Studies
2026W, Introductory Seminar (PS), 3.0 ECTS, 2.0 semester hours, course number S04786

Description

Graphics, artifacts, interiors, fashion, and digital design influence every aspect of our lives. The proseminar "Design Cultures" offers critical perspectives on design as a cultural language, an integral part of social relations, and a powerful force shaping our environment. Students will explore the history of 20th-century design and design interventions in Austria and other countries today. Topics addressed in the course include design's influence on individual identity, political opinion, historical narratives, and collective phenomena such as migration, nationalism, raising awareness of cultural differences, integration, ecology, consumption, and social media. A central question is: What role does cultural identity play in different areas of design? The proseminar aims to provide insight into design as part of cultural production and to engage with theories on the relationship between design and culture. The course also discusses the significance of design for contemporary society.

Examination Modalities

The Proseminar class requirements are participation in class (15%) chosen theme presentation in class (25%) and proseminar paper based on class presentation (60%).

 

Comments

Ausgewählte empfohlene Bibliografie/ Selected recommended bibliography

  1. Andrew Blauvelt, “In and Around: Cultures of Design and the Design of Cultures,” Emigre 32 (1994): 2-23.
  2. Anne Boultwood & Robert Jerrard, “Ambivalence, and Its Relation to Fashion and the Body,” Fashion Theory, 4:3, 301-321
  3. Pierre Bourdieu, The Field of Cultural Production, Ed. and Intr. by Randal Johnson (Cambridge: Polity, 1993). (Handapparat)
  4. Pierre Bourdieu, “Künstlerische Konzeption und intellektuelles Kräftefeld,“ in: Franz Schultheis und Stephan Egger (hrsg) Kunst und Kultur Kunst und künstlerisches Feld (Berlin: Suhrkamp, 2015)
  5. Zoya Chaudhary; ‘Shaping Perception: Negotiating media as material, the fragility of time and fleeting emotions’. Currents Journal, Archipelagic Encounters (2021): file:///C:/Users/mir/Desktop/Design%20and%20Art%20Theories_research%20venues/Zoya_Chaudhary_Shaping%20Perception%20in%20Archipelagic_Encounters__2021.pdf
  6. Guy Julier, “Design Practice within a Theory of Practice” Design Principles & Practices. An International Journal, 2007, Vol. 1, Nr. 2, 43-50.  (Deutsch Übersetzung: “Design als Praxis. Eine praxistheoretische Perspektive in: Stephan Moebius und Sophia Prinz (Hrsg.) Der Design der Gesellschaft: zur Kultursoziologie des Designs (Bielefeld: Transkript, 2012).
  7. Grace Lees-Maffei and Rebecca Houze (eds.) The Design History Reader (New York: Bloosmbury, 2010).
  8. Katharina Tietze, “Cultural Identity and Design,” in: Not at your Service, Manifestos for Design, edited by Bjorn Franke and Hansuli Matter (Birkhäuser, 2021), 419–425.

Key Words

design in context, consumption, pluralism in culture, social integration, design as a collective phenomenon, social media

Dates

Mon, 05 October 2026, 10:00–11:30 Seminar Room 26
Mon, 12 October 2026, 10:00–11:30 Seminar Room 26
Mon, 19 October 2026, 10:00–11:30 Seminar Room 26
Mon, 09 November 2026, 10:00–11:30 Seminar Room 26
Mon, 16 November 2026, 10:00–11:30 Seminar Room 26
Mon, 23 November 2026, 10:00–11:30 Seminar Room 26
Mon, 30 November 2026, 10:00–11:30 Seminar Room 26
Mon, 07 December 2026, 10:00–11:30 Seminar Room 26
Mon, 14 December 2026, 10:00–11:30 Seminar Room 26
Mon, 11 January 2027, 10:00–11:30 Seminar Room 27
Mon, 18 January 2027, 10:00–11:30 Seminar Room 26
Mon, 25 January 2027, 10:00–11:30 Seminar Room 26

Course Enrolment

From 31 August 2026, 09:00 to 05 October 2026, 09:01
Via online registration

Art Education: study subject kkp (Bachelor): Academic Practice: FOR: Course from the Institute IKK.K 034/2026UBA-003.21

Art Education: study subject kkp (Bachelor): Further Focus Areas (Pool): Focus: Art and Social Practice 034/2026UBA-030.04

Art Education: subject kkp (Enhancements study): Academic Practice: FOR: Course from the Institute IKK.K 034/2026UEW-003.21

Art Education: study subject dex (Bachelor): Academic Practice: FOR: Course from the Institute IKK.K 037/2026UBA-003.21

Art Education: study subject dex (Bachelor): Further Focus Areas (Pool): Focus: Art and Social Practice 037/2026UBA-030.04

Art Education: subject dex (Enhancements study): Academic Practice: FOR: Course from the Institute IKK.K 037/2026UEW-003.21

Art Education: subject kkp (Bachelor): Wissenschaftliche Praxis: FOR: Lehrveranstaltungen nach Wahl aus Wissenschaftliche Praxis 067/2016UBA-003.80

Art Education: subject kkp (Bachelor): Weitere Schwerpunkte: Kunst und soziale Praxis 067/2016UBA-030.04

Art Education: subject kkp (Enhancements study): Wissenschaftliche Praxis: FOR: Lehrveranstaltungen nach Wahl aus Wissenschaftliche Praxis 067/2018UEW-003.80

Art Education: subject dex (Bachelor): Wissenschaftliche Praxis: FOR: Lehrveranstaltungen nach Wahl aus Wissenschaftliche Praxis 074/2017UBA-003.80

Art Education: subject dex (Bachelor): Weitere Schwerpunkte: Kunst und soziale Praxis 074/2017UBA-030.04

Art Education: subject dex (Enhancements study): Wissenschaftliche Praxis: FOR: Lehrveranstaltungen nach Wahl aus Wissenschaftliche Praxis 074/2018UEW-003.80

Transformation Studies. Art x Science (Bachelor): Focus! Transformation Areas: Media Transformation 162/2025UBA-040.50

TransArts - Transdisciplinary Arts (Bachelor): Theoretical foundations: Theoretical foundations 180/2025UBA-003.01

Expanded Museum Studies (Master): Electives: Cultural Studies 537/2021UMA-080.14

Stage Design (1. Section): Kunsttheorie und Kulturwissenschaften: Kulturwissenschaften 542/2022U00-107.02

Stage Design (2. Section): Kunsttheorie und Kulturwissenschaften: Kulturwissenschaften 542/2022U00-207.02

Media Arts: Specialisation in Transmedia Arts (1. Section): Wissenschaftlich theoretische und historische Grundlagen: Kulturwissenschaften 566/2019U00-108.13

Media Arts: Specialisation in Transmedia Arts (2. Section): Wissenschaft, Theorie und Geschichte : Kulturwissenschaften 566/2019U00-208.15

Media Arts: Specialisation in Digital Arts (1. Section): Wissenschaftlich theoretische und historische Grundlagen: Kulturwissenschaften 567/2019U00-108.13

Media Arts: Specialisation in Digital Arts (2. Section): Wissenschaft, Theorie, Geschichte: Kulturwissenschaften 567/2019U00-208.15

Design: Specialisation in Design and Narrative Media (2. Section): Methodological and Theoretical Fundamentals: Humanities 576/2024U00-203.02

Design: Specialisation in Communication Design (2. Section): Methodological and Theoretical Basics: Humanities 577/2025U00-203.02

Industrial Design (1. Section): Art and Cultural Studies - Basics: Cultural Studies 580/2013U00-104.07

Design: Specialisation in Fashion Design (1. Section): Methodological and Theoretical Basics: Free Elective Pool Methodological and Theoretical Basics 584/2019U00-103.80

Fine Arts (2. Section): Scientific and Research Practice: Art Theory, Cultural Studies, Art History, Philosophy 605/2019U00-202.01

Fine Arts (2. Section): Scientific and Research Practice: Free Electives out of Scientific and Research Practice 605/2019U00-202.80

Design: Specialisation in Applied Photography and Time-based Media (2. Section): Methodological and Theoretical Basics: Humanities 626/2021U00-203.02

Art & Science (Master): Methods and Practices of Transdisciplinary Research: Practice and Theory 776/2026UMA-002.16

Co-registration: possible

Attending individual courses: possible