Policy Design Studio

Professors: Pendleton-Jullian
Units: 1.0
Elective

We live in a world that is hyper-connected globally, rapidly changing, and radically contingent. In this world, we are increasingly confronted by problems that are not solvable in any traditional sense because they are dynamic problem environments that change as you work on them. Often called ‘wicked’ problems, these problems are multi-disciplinary, socio-technical, systems problems that cross-cut dimensions and geopolitical boundaries. They are international problems that play out locally. Examples of complex emergent systems problems include global warming, the financial crisis, terrorism, environmental design, infectious disease control, hunger, homelessness, etc. In a design studio format, this course will provide a scaffold for building skills for unpacking, and visualizing complex problems.