SIG-5030

Fall semester: 3 credits
09/06/22 – 11/29/22
Tuesdays, 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm with the exception of the following dates:
Wednesday, 8/31/22 10:00 am – 5:00 pm EST (*This is outside of the official semester)
Tuesday, 10/25/22 10:00 am – 5:00 pm EST
Tuesday, 12/6/22 10:00 am – 5:00 pm EST
Instructors: Marc Rettig, Hanna du Plessis
Location: Zoom & Classroom

This course introduces ideas, methods, and skills essential for putting the “social” in “social innovation” and for nurturing conditions for people to create together through complexity and uncertainty. Through a lively mix of activities, students internalize a living systems view of social change, learn to convene and host conversations that matter to a community, and grow their ability to stand in good relationships with themselves and others.

SIG-5360

Fall Semester: 1 credit
9/12/22 – 10/31/22 (8 classes)
Mondays, 6:00 – 9:00 pm EST
Instructor: Jaimie Cloud
Location: Classroom

Students learn to use systems thinking and creativity to explore the intersection of sustainability and design, including discussions on economics and quality-of-life indicators, how to distinguish problems from symptoms, and unpacking the operating principles for life on Earth.

SIG-5350

Fall semester: 3 credits
09/07/22 – 12/14/22
Wednesdays, 1:00 – 4:00 pm EST
Instructor: Mari Nakano
Location: Quiet Room

To address complex social issues – such as poverty, civil rights, climate change, access to infrastructure and services – students will learn to apply design research to uncover needs, beliefs, and value systems, in collaboration with others. Students explore techniques to understand context by immersing in real-world settings; reframe and analyze relationships and systems; and reduce harm and increase equity. Students complete a self-driven project using participatory methods and community-based approaches which they can apply to their future design practice.

SIG-5120

Fall semester: 1 credit
10/25/22 – 12/13/22 (10 sessions)
Tuesdays, 6:00 – 9:00 pm EST
Instructors: Laura Cerón Melo
Location: Auditorium

Social innovation and social entrepreneurship are part of a vibrant global movement that promotes novel responses to the most vexing and complex social issues. As a practice-led field, social innovation can emerge from public and private sectors (profit, not-for-profit), from small start-ups to seemingly entrenched bureaucracies. This course provides an overview of key themes and concepts in social innovation and natural systems. It will also place today’s innovation and entrepreneurship into context within longstanding, measurable efforts at social change.

SIG-5220

Fall semester: 3 credits
9/07/22 – 12/14/22
Wednesday, 6:00 – 9:00 pm EST
Instructors: Miya Osaki, Ryana Burrell
Location: Auditorium

In this year-long lecture series, students interact with leaders in social innovation today. Guest speakers share the diverse opportunities, perspectives, and careers – and how design plays a role. Students practice facilitation skills and critical thinking, as well as define shared values and their own positionality as social designers. Students craft a personal statement and portfolio, and network with visiting DSI alumni working in design, social impact, technology, consultancies, NGOs, and government. Watch Lecture Videos

SIG-5170

Fall Semester: I credit
11/04/22, 12/02/22, and 12/16/22 (Three 7-hour sessions)
Fridays, 10 am – 5 pm EST
Instructor: Lee-Sean Huang
Location: Quiet Room

From Skynet to Hal 9000, popular culture has cast artificial intelligence (AI) as the catalyst of the apocalypse, but what if AI could help humanity instead of dooming it? This course explores AI and machine learning and how these technologies may be applied to global issues. We will look at the history of AI, from the works of Alan Turing to Elon Musk, and examine the current state of the technology: how it fails and where it succeeds. A background in computer science is not necessary. The course will culminate in a project to design and prototype an AI application for social good.

SIG-5150

Fall semester: 3 credits
09/08/22 – 12/20/22 *Note the last class date is a Tuesday per the academic calendar.
Thursdays, 6:00 – 9:00 pm EST
Instrutor: Stephanie Yim
Location: Classroom

Students learn mapping and visualizing systems in order to facilitate a journey from thinking to making. Readings, discussions and weekly “experiments” are employed to investigate how mapping and modeling techniques can help develop sustainable frameworks of action. The course helps students visualize and articulate their thinking, explore ways of planning, making, and communicating solutions, and develop new models of engagement and action.

SIG-5390

Spring semester: 3 credits
1/12/23 – 4/27/23
Thursday, 6:00 – 9:00 pm EST
Instructors: Freya Mohini Dutta + Ben Norskov
Location: Classroom

Games designed to address social and political issues are one of the fastest growing categories in the ‘serious games’ movement. This course incorporates game theory and analysis with hands-on development of social impact games: interactive experiences that integrate socio-political events, values and messages into their design and game mechanics. Working in teams, students take on game projects from concept to a functional prototype, and refine their projects through several iterations, ending with a game festival with a jury of experts.

SIG-5410

Spring semester: 2 credits
2/03/23 – 5/01/23
Friday, 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm EST with
Instructor: Lee-Sean Huang
Location: Quiet Room

In this course focused on making, students will explore a range of methods and techniques for taking a concept to completion using design and physical computing. The class will focus on digital and physical prototypes as a method of testing and learning. This learning will support the systematic design decisions that determine the quality, impact and outcome of social design.

SIG-5070

Spring semester: 3 credits
1/11/2023 – 4/26/2023
Wednesday, 2:00 – 5:00 pm EST
Instructors: Miya Osaki, Corwin Green
Location: Auditorium

Students learn to use language and personal voice as well as verbal and visual communication skills to engage, persuade, and shift behavior through story-writing and storytelling, cogent logic and public presentations. Throughout the semester, students work with external clients and organizations to design communications as a system with intentional impact on outcomes. The course culminates in presentations of design interventions developed in collaboration with communities.

SIG-5225

Spring semester: 3
1/11/23 – 4/26/23
Wednesday, 6:00 – 9:00 pm EST
Instructors: Miya Osaki, Ryana Burrell
Location: Auditorium

This is the second part of a two-semester course featuring weekly guest speakers pioneering how social design is practiced. Students continue their practice via weekly facilitations, creative reflections, and analysis. Students refine their personal statements and design portfolios and gain feedback from practitioners from various organizations such as NYC Mayor’s Office/ACS, Hyperakt, 18F, Purpose, NationSwell, Sublation Studios, Sourcemap, ACLU, Tapestry, Johnson & Johnson and more. Watch Lecture Videos.

SIG-5440

Spring semester: 3 credits
1/09/23 – 5/1/23
Mondays, 6:00 – 9:00 pm EST
Instructors: Alison Cornyn
Location: Auditorium

In the first of 3 thesis semesters, students investigate a variety of topics, researching to confirm their own interests and define a thesis direction. Exercises in reframing the issue, audience identification, observation and research help students define unmet needs and build hypotheses. Students identify a social issue, establish partnership with an external collaborator, volunteer in a community, and clearly articulate the concept and metrics for success. By the end of the semester, students have a fully vetted topic for their thesis.

SIG-5811

Spring semester: 1 credit
1/13/23 – 2/3/23 (4 sessions only)
Fridays, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm EST
Instructor: Kate Reed Petty

The maxim that all change begins with language is true in the visual arts to the same extent that it is anywhere else. Yet social impact designers — who make their professional careers developing initiatives that change lives, often with enormous public consequence — are often not taught how to write. Both the design and social innovation fields are filled with jargon that deadens meaning instead of illuminating it. The goal of this class is to give social designers access to the power of creative writing in order to more fully understand themselves, and combine that self-knowledge with writing that will infect and inspire their audiences.

SIG-6190

Fall semester: 6 credits
09/12/22 – 12/19/22
Monday, 6:00 – 9:00 pm EST
Instructors: Mari Nakano, Kara Meyer, Sahar Ghaheri, Lona Vincent
Location: Auditorium

In the fall, guided by thesis advisors, students conduct research with their community partners to develop a thorough understanding of the context, landscape and challenges of their thesis topic. They design and implement a series of prototypes to test and refine their theory, and create a compelling presentation, which brings each vision’s potential to life through words, images and graphics. Presentation to the thesis committee for approval of the thesis topic is required.

SIG-6170

Fall semester: 3 credits
9/06/22 – 12/13/22
Tuesday, 6:00 – 9:00 pm EST
Instructor: Cathy Richards, Taylor Ourada
Location: Classroom
The second half of this year-long course continues building familiarity with data issues and In the spring, students study data and visualization for explanation: how various tools and techniques help us communicate with and influence others. Guest lecturers include data scientists, financial modelers and corporate social responsibility experts.

SIG-6220

Fall semester: 3 credits
9/07/22 – 12/14/22
Wednesday, 6:00 – 9:00 pm EST
Instructors: Miya Osaki, Ryana Burrell
Location: Auditorium

In this year-long lecture series, students interact with leaders in social innovation today. Guest speakers share the diverse opportunities, perspectives, and careers – and how design plays a role. Students practice facilitation skills and critical thinking, as well as define shared values and their own positionality as social designers. Students craft a personal statement and portfolio, and network with visiting DSI alumni working in design, social impact, technology, consultancies, NGOs, and government. Watch Lecture Videos

SIG-6180

Fall semester: 2 credits
09/09/22 – 12/21/22
Fridays, 10:00 am – 1:00 pm EST
Instructor: Karen Proctor
Location: Auditorium

A yearlong survey of key leadership theories and practices will be examined in this course, with the aim for students to discover their leadership identity and apply their new knowledge and understanding in positive social change contexts. Through in-class discussion, case studies and leadership development process documentation, students will engage in intensive, reflective experiences that have been designed to transform leadership notions into knowledge. The course helps students to consider the “why” of their DSI experience from a leadership lens.

SIG-6185

Fall semester: 1 credit
09/08/22 – 12/20/22 *Note the last class date is a Tuesday per the academic calendar.
Thursdays, 6:00 – 9:00 pm EST
Instructor: Kobla Asamoah
Location: Auditorium

This course is devoted to equipping students with the business language and concepts needed for real-world venture success. Students will gain practical knowledge and hands-on experience in the key business building blocks needed to execute a successful start-up that is viable, financially sustainable and scalable. Students will also have the opportunity to evaluate and present their respective theses as a business concept.

SIG-6940

Spring semester: 6 credits
1/09/23 – 5/01/23
Monday, 6:00 – 9:00 pm EST
Instructors: Mari Nakano, Kara Meyer, Sahar Ghaheri, Lona Vincent
In the final semester, students complete their thesis project and develop it into tested interventions, ready to be implemented. Presentation of the thesis to the full board of advisors is required for completion. The thesis committee, additional faculty and outside experts will critique presentations at critical intervals during the semester. The culmination of the thesis process is a public presentation at the annual Thesis Show.

SIG-6175

Spring semester: 3 credits
1/10/23 – 4/25/23
Tuesday, 6:00 – 9:00 pm EST
Instructor: Cathy Richards, Taylor Ourada
Location: Classroom

The second half of this year-long course continues building familiarity with data issues and In the spring, students study data and visualization for explanation: how various tools and techniques help us communicate with and influence others. Guest lecturers include data scientists, financial modelers and corporate social responsibility experts.

SIG-5225

Spring semester: 3
1/11/23 – 4/26/23
Wednesday, 6:00 – 9:00 pm EST
Instructors: Miya Osaki, Ryana Burrell
Location: Auditorium

This is the second part of a two-semester course featuring weekly guest speakers pioneering how social design is practiced. Students continue their practice via weekly facilitations, creative reflections, and analysis. Students refine their personal statements and design portfolios and gain feedback from practitioners from various organizations such as NYC Mayor’s Office/ACS, Hyperakt, 18F, Purpose, NationSwell, Sublation Studios, Sourcemap, ACLU, Tapestry, Johnson & Johnson and more. Watch Lecture Videos

SIG-6182

Spring semester: 2 credits
1/13/23 – 4/28/23
Fridays, 10:00 am – 1:00 pm EST
Instructor: Karen Proctor

This is the second part of a two-semester course. Please see above for the course description.

SIG-6950

Spring semester: 1 credit
1/12/23 – 4/27/23
Thursday, 6:00 – 9:00pm
Instructor: Anne LaFond

This course complements the thesis process, examining how to measure program effectiveness and evaluation (M&E). Monitoring is the routine process of data collection and measurement of progress toward program objectives; evaluation is the use of social research methods to systematically investigate a program’s effectiveness. Students will be guided on the development of their own theory of change, measurement plan, and data collection.