Social Studies: Educating designers in a connected world

From my Issues in Design class evaluations, there were comments that I am more knowledgeable about issues of the world than issues of design... [to whom it may concern, I take that as a compliment]. If that is truly the case, the people who decided on the theme for this year AIGA design educators' conference were probably thinking on a disparate educator, someone like myself...

This conference addresses the social life of design. Graphic designers work with clients, institutions, users, and communities to make things happen in the world. Yet education often focuses on the individual voice. How are we preparing students for a lifetime of working with and for other people? How are our students connecting to the world?

I'll let you draw your own conclusions about how closely my assignments relate/d to the issues to be discussed in this conference. For the purpose of this blog, I wanted to share the links to the sessions on Sustainability.

Sustainability # 1 has a presentation on Package Design and Sustainability!!!

Sustainability # 2 features Eric Benson—the professor who critiqued your archives, and who will be looking at your process blogs—presenting on how future design education will be one that empowers the designer to become proactive in educating and advocating for positive social changes that can sustain our craft within a new green economy.