Spring 2011: DESIGN FOR SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP

_Material Matters
RISD Industrial Design Advanced Studio: Course Syllabus
Instructor: Patricia Gruits, MARCH, Portable Light Project
Course Blog: www.de-se2011.blogspot.com
EARTH University Website: http://www.earth.ac.cr/index.php

Overview
This advanced studio investigates the power of products, systems and services to create positive
social and environmental change. This semester, as social entrepreneurial designers, students
will have the opportunity to work with EARTH University in Costa Rica. EARTH is at the forefront
of identifying, testing and sharing techniques for sustainable agriculture in the tropics. Students
enrolled in this course will investigate new uses for agricultural wastes and natural materials and
develop in-depth proposals for the creation of new products that will benefit EARTH and its local
and global communities.

The studio will be structured as a three-part exploration:

_Material Investigation
Students will explore the inherent qualities and properties of agricultural bi-products from the
production of bananas, sugar cane and citrus for their transformation into an industrial material.
Students will be expected to investigate, iterate and document their research to compile as a
studio wide material catalog.

_Prototype Development
Based on the material samples generated in the studio, students will develop full scale products,
prototypes or systems that will not only “Up-cycle” these waste materials but feed into existing
markets and larger project concepts.

_Speculative Implementation
Through precedent studies, workshops and visiting lectures, students will be exposed to the
emerging field of social entrepreneurship and practice these skills by developing their own in-
depth proposal for a social venture informed by the sustainable products and concepts developed
in the studio.

Throughout the semester visiting speakers will conduct open lectures and discussions on relevant
topics ranging from product design and ethnographic research, to fabrication and the
development of business plans. During the 2011 spring semester break this studio will travel to
EARTH University in Costa Rica to observe, collaborate with and present project concepts to the
EARTH Community.

Skill Development
This will be a fast paced studio where students will be expected to practice and build upon their
skills in many areas of craft that are crucial to design practice: rapid sketching, modeling, concept
development and prototyping. However, it will also be an opportunity to develop research-
oriented skills related to social entrepreneurship: collaboration with EARTH University leaders,
conducting research on agricultural bi-products, local craft culture, and traditions, evaluating and
comparing precedents, developing business plans and pitching ideas to EARTH, its students and
the community.

Questions
Please feel free to contact me at: pgruits@risd.edu
Week 1: Introduction to Social Entrepreneurship
February 22 - 24
A1: Reading “Social Entrepreneurship”, due 2/24
A2: Design for Social Change, Precedent Study, due 3/1

Weeks 2: Ethnographic and Precedent Research

March 1 – 3
A3: Ethnographic Research, Latin America and the Caribbean, due 3/8
A4: Introduction to Agricultural Bi-Products, EARTH University

Weeks 3-7: Design Project 1: Material Investigation

March 8 – 10
A5: Material Abstraction, Part 1: Re-constitution

March 15 - 17
A6: Material Abstraction, Part 2: Composites

March 22 – 24
A7: Development of Material Samples and Catalog

Week 6: Site Visit _ EARTH University

March 26 – April 1
A8: EARTH Community Presentations, Costa Rica

Week 7 – 10: Design Project 2: Prototype Development

April 5 - 7
A9: Incorporating Community Feedback

April 12 – 14
A10: “Up-cycling” New Uses for New Materials
A11: Fabrication Workshop

April 19 – 21
A12: Design concept development sketches and prototypes

April 26 – 28
A13: Rapid Iteration of Design Concepts
Project 2: Review

Weeks 11 -14: Speculative Implementation

May 4 – 6
A14: Workshops: Financial Stability, Scholarship and Publishing
A15: Evaluating Social Ventures

May 10 – 12
A16: Design Revisions: Project Development

May 17 - 19
A17: Development of Project Proposals and Documentation

Week 14: FINAL REVIEW: Presentation of Final Proposals

May 24 - 26
A18: Submit CD to department with documentation of work
A19: Update course blog with final