Making design history courses more inclusive

For decades, students taking Design in History I and II courses at the University of Cincinnati College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP) were learning design history based on a select group of notables — mostly male, white designers who achieved fame in the 20th century.

However, in fall 2023, the college piloted new, more diverse content that is expected to be launched in fall 2024.

Students who experienced some of the new course content after taking the traditional first course say that they could see a great shift in how the content was approached from one semester to the other. 

“The new curriculum brings key issues of inclusivity and justice to the center stage, allowing for healthy debate and constructive criticism on ideas of race, sex, gender and cultural turning points, among others,” says third-year design student Shikha Chatterjee. She added that the new framework “has proven to be vital as we are encouraged to not fear the uncomfortable, but rather embrace it.”

“It was the students who actually came to me,” Seward says, and asked for more inclusivity, which prompted the communication design faculty — including DAAP instructors Donald “DJ” Trischler, an assistant professor, and Davar Azarbeygui, an adjunct professor — to revamp the curriculum.

“Design is an international language that has no borders or any cultural limitations,” says Azarbeygui. “We must embrace diversity in design to enrich our landscape of what design can accomplish.”

Seward and the team enlisted the services of Polymode, a curriculum design consultancy, to expand the scope of study so that students now learn from global design movements that amplify voices often not represented in traditional design history curricula.

The collaboration between DAAP and Polymode, Trischler says, now reflects the desired outcomes of the course, “Representation of a variety of voices and a space where all participants can follow their curiosities about design and the many ways it intersects with society, culture, politics and more.”

It’s an attitude toward learning that also agrees with third-year student Ruby Sanchez. “As a student, I can tell that a lot of dedication, hard work and sensitivity went into creating this curriculum,” she says.

Sanchez says that while they “briefly” touched on designers of color in spring 2023, it was merely an overview. “Now, not only have we spoken more in-depth about designers of color, but we’ve also had many informative discussions about how long-standing issues such as racism and sexism have influenced design in the past and present.”

Additionally, the prior coursework also focused heavily on the Bauhaus movement, an influential art and design movement from 1919-33, which third-year Annika Ferguson says was “an incredibly disproportionate amount of time” which gave no space for other designers.

Design, says Ferguson, “has a real impact, so we must learn how to design for everyone.”
 

Featured photo at top of DAAP building: Photo/Jay Yocis/UC Marketing + Brand