Design and cognition research workshop

Teacher(s)

Isabelle Garron , Stéphane Safin , Panos Mavros 

Goals

To conduct a social science study using design methods, and to practically familiarise students with research methodologies. In 2023, the goal of the class was to study how space (urban and rural) is transforming in Plateau de Saclay, how people inhabit it what individual and social experiences have emerged. Each group of students is asked to release a short video by the end of the workshop

Institution and classes

Recherche en design (ENS)

Number of students

10

Duration

5 days of workshops and fieldwork

Theoretical and practical grounds

Design, social science, academic research, collaborative practices

Equipment (rooms, tools, materials, software...)

Studio Design, all building materials, software

Knowledge to acquire

Introduction to social science methods, research methods

Skills to develop

Formulate a research question, choose original methodologies, collecting empirical data, analyse it and present the results

Presentation of some productions

There's a full presentation of the class on a dedicated website, where you can find the following projects (direct links available) : 

  • Honorable Digestion - how to rely on food places, eating habits and food-related practices (like compost) can participate to social inclusion in the territory
  • The Hands that build Saclay - "determine the extent to which those involved in the construction and maintenance of the Plateau de Saclay experience a sense of belonging both in relation to their workspace and in their perception of the Plateau as a whole"
  • Accusé de réception - studying how categorize and topics presented as related to "inclusion" by the institutions can be too diverse, feed the confusion between various social problems and, finally, be counter-productive
  • Motifs d’inclusion : exploration artistique sur le site de Telecom Paris - to study the feelings of inclusion and belonging for the users of Telecom Paris campus. The hypothesis is that space organization and arrangement have a strong impact on these feelings (inclusion, belonging, well-being)

 

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