In the NCSS Core Seminar, students explore key issues in nature-culture-sustainability studies, developing an interdisciplinary understanding of the need for integrative approaches to issues including mobility and infrastructure, environmental justice and equity, sustainable food and water systems and the very real present and future of climate change. Beginning with definitions of nature and natural systems, drawn from environmental literature and history, we will dig into questions of what we mean by "culture" and "sustainability". The vitality of the ecologic and social and built environment upon which we all depend will form the core of our investigations. How and where we live matters; in the present Anthropocene, questions of resiliency and adaptation take on ever greater urgency. We will study contemporary conditions with examples from across the globe, with an eye to understanding how innovation and creative practices in art and design impact future planetary health. This course lays the foundation for students pursuing the NCSS concentration. The seminar will include lectures and discussions of readings and case studies. Students may ground their final course project in a topic connected to their own work, relating it to their major or another concentration, in addition to NCSS.

To deepen our interdisciplinary exploration of nature–culture–sustainability studies and to bring both NCSS Core seminar cohorts together, this course includes a shared lecture series (about six sessions per semester). These events will feature guest speakers—scientists, designers, and environmental leaders—who are working at the forefront of research and activism. They will share their insights, experiences, and current projects with us, offering new perspectives to enrich our seminar discussions.

Note: The lectures are scheduled for Wednesdays from 5:00-6:00.

Elective

In the NCSS Core Seminar, students explore key issues in nature-culture-sustainability studies, developing an interdisciplinary understanding of the need for integrative approaches to issues including mobility and infrastructure, environmental justice and equity, sustainable food and water systems and the very real present and future of climate change. Beginning with definitions of nature and natural systems, drawn from environmental literature and history, we will dig into questions of what we mean by "culture" and "sustainability". The vitality of the ecologic and social and built environment upon which we all depend will form the core of our investigations. How and where we live matters; in the present Anthropocene, questions of resiliency and adaptation take on ever greater urgency. We will study contemporary conditions with examples from across the globe, with an eye to understanding how innovation and creative practices in art and design impact future planetary health. This course lays the foundation for students pursuing the NCSS concentration. The seminar will include lectures and discussions of readings and case studies. Students may ground their final course project in a topic connected to their own work, relating it to their major or another concentration, in addition to NCSS.

To deepen our interdisciplinary exploration of nature–culture–sustainability studies and to bring both NCSS Core seminar cohorts together, this course includes a shared lecture series (about six sessions per semester). These events will feature guest speakers—scientists, designers, and environmental leaders—who are working at the forefront of research and activism. They will share their insights, experiences, and current projects with us, offering new perspectives to enrich our seminar discussions.

Note: The lectures are scheduled for Wednesdays from 5:00-6:00.

Elective

In this collaborative studio between furniture design and architecture, students will create furnishings that respond to and engage with the body of work of a significant architectural practice. Students will study the history, cultural influence, and works of a creative practice that encompasses both architecture and furniture. Upon completion of a coordinated field trip to visit the built work of the selected practice, a regional building will be selected as the architectural context for students to respond to. Although the emphasis of the class will be on designing and making furniture, it will operate as an interdisciplinary collaboration between furniture design and architecture students, with each discipline contributing its distinct expertise, skills, techniques, and knowledge. The studio is offered in partnership with Form Portfolios, a local design business that works with the estates of renowned designers to steward their legacies. Representatives from Form Portfolios will contribute their knowledge and expertise in the selected practices and the design industry more generally to support the development of student projects.

Estimated Cost of Materials: $150.00

https://drive.google.com/file/d/16O-yKq_vjwfiPuPCrJhXfykpiuflUQE5/view?usp=sharing to access the syllabus

Elective

To effectively address complex problems and work with diverse teams, designers must become skilled at directing their efforts in the service of new outputs and outcomes. This three credit seminar will introduce students to various theoretical and applied frameworks for measurable action. We will investigate how seeking impact shapes design activities, and examine how to use evidence-based practices to assess the effectiveness of our work. The course will read across literature in the social sciences, international development, activism, social-practices, design and business. Students will engage texts with one another in critical discussions and individually through written analysis.

Elective

Manga, a term that represents a style and tradition of comics and cartooning developed in Japan during the late 19th century, has grown in global popularity over the last few decades. As the artform continues to raise its profile and influence across popular culture—including comics, animation, film, and the academic study of art—many illustrators and scholars are becoming increasingly interested in learning the craft and exploring the unique qualities of manga. What better way to experience the culture of manga and its many intricacies than by traveling to its birthplace, Japan, and studying at an institution that specializes in teaching the artform?

This course will take place in the heart of the manga and anime industry, Tokyo, in collaboration with industry professionals and HAL: College of Technology and Design, a leading arts institution with a comprehensive Manga, Anime, and Illustration undergraduate and graduate program. The program will be led by a team of industry professionals spanning various disciplines related to manga and anime, including graphic novelist Cat Huang (Critic, Illustration).

Participants will engage in a three-week intensive cultural exchange, working alongside student peers at HAL, learning traditional Japanese illustration techniques, researching the wide range of manga genres, and meeting with leading professionals from Japan’s publishing industry. Visits to museums, historical landmarks, and site-scouting locations will provide additional cultural context, and deepen students’ appreciation of the influences that shape manga.

Students will create a four-page doujinshi, or independent comic, as part of an anthology of short stories collaboratively produced by students from RISD and HAL, to be published at a later date. In addition to group critiques, participants will receive feedback from RISD and faculty, as well as invited professionals from the local publishing community.

Registration is not available in Workday. Students must complete an application through RISD Global Summer Studies. A minimum GPA of 2.5 is required for all RISD students. Failure to remain in good academic standing can lead to removal from the course, either before or during the course. Additional information including deadlines and travel costs can be found on the Global Summer Studies website.

Illustration is visual communication: meaning made visible. Visual thinking, the creative process by which all successful illustration is developed, constitutes the development of an articulate images through thorough, iterative exploration of ideas. This class emphasizes process over finish, idea over application and significance over style-exploring both ways of seeing and ways of showing. Coursework will encourage conceptual invention and application fundamental to an understanding of what the practice of illustration is and can be. The object of the course is to strengthen the students' inventive talents and interpretive skills - and thereby to augment their ability to articulate complex ideas with clarity, eloquence and power.

Majors are pre-registered for this course by the department.

Major Requirement | BFA Illustration

Illustration is visual communication: meaning made visible. Visual thinking, the creative process by which all successful illustration is developed, constitutes the development of an articulate images through thorough, iterative exploration of ideas. This class emphasizes process over finish, idea over application and significance over style-exploring both ways of seeing and ways of showing. Coursework will encourage conceptual invention and application fundamental to an understanding of what the practice of illustration is and can be. The object of the course is to strengthen the students' inventive talents and interpretive skills - and thereby to augment their ability to articulate complex ideas with clarity, eloquence and power.

Majors are pre-registered for this course by the department.

Major Requirement | BFA Illustration

Illustration is visual communication: meaning made visible. Visual thinking, the creative process by which all successful illustration is developed, constitutes the development of an articulate images through thorough, iterative exploration of ideas. This class emphasizes process over finish, idea over application and significance over style-exploring both ways of seeing and ways of showing. Coursework will encourage conceptual invention and application fundamental to an understanding of what the practice of illustration is and can be. The object of the course is to strengthen the students' inventive talents and interpretive skills - and thereby to augment their ability to articulate complex ideas with clarity, eloquence and power.

Majors are pre-registered for this course by the department.

Major Requirement | BFA Illustration

Illustration is visual communication: meaning made visible. Visual thinking, the creative process by which all successful illustration is developed, constitutes the development of an articulate images through thorough, iterative exploration of ideas. This class emphasizes process over finish, idea over application and significance over style-exploring both ways of seeing and ways of showing. Coursework will encourage conceptual invention and application fundamental to an understanding of what the practice of illustration is and can be. The object of the course is to strengthen the students' inventive talents and interpretive skills - and thereby to augment their ability to articulate complex ideas with clarity, eloquence and power.

Majors are pre-registered for this course by the department.

Major Requirement | BFA Illustration

Illustration is visual communication: meaning made visible. Visual thinking, the creative process by which all successful illustration is developed, constitutes the development of an articulate images through thorough, iterative exploration of ideas. This class emphasizes process over finish, idea over application and significance over style-exploring both ways of seeing and ways of showing. Coursework will encourage conceptual invention and application fundamental to an understanding of what the practice of illustration is and can be. The object of the course is to strengthen the students' inventive talents and interpretive skills - and thereby to augment their ability to articulate complex ideas with clarity, eloquence and power.

Majors are pre-registered for this course by the department.

Major Requirement | BFA Illustration

Illustration is visual communication: meaning made visible. Visual thinking, the creative process by which all successful illustration is developed, constitutes the development of an articulate images through thorough, iterative exploration of ideas. This class emphasizes process over finish, idea over application and significance over style-exploring both ways of seeing and ways of showing. Coursework will encourage conceptual invention and application fundamental to an understanding of what the practice of illustration is and can be. The object of the course is to strengthen the students' inventive talents and interpretive skills - and thereby to augment their ability to articulate complex ideas with clarity, eloquence and power.

Majors are pre-registered for this course by the department.

Major Requirement | BFA Illustration

Illustration is visual communication: meaning made visible. Visual thinking, the creative process by which all successful illustration is developed, constitutes the development of an articulate images through thorough, iterative exploration of ideas. This class emphasizes process over finish, idea over application and significance over style-exploring both ways of seeing and ways of showing. Coursework will encourage conceptual invention and application fundamental to an understanding of what the practice of illustration is and can be. The object of the course is to strengthen the students' inventive talents and interpretive skills - and thereby to augment their ability to articulate complex ideas with clarity, eloquence and power.

Majors are pre-registered for this course by the department.

Major Requirement | BFA Illustration

Illustration is visual communication: meaning made visible. Visual thinking, the creative process by which all successful illustration is developed, constitutes the development of an articulate images through thorough, iterative exploration of ideas. This class emphasizes process over finish, idea over application and significance over style-exploring both ways of seeing and ways of showing. Coursework will encourage conceptual invention and application fundamental to an understanding of what the practice of illustration is and can be. The object of the course is to strengthen the students' inventive talents and interpretive skills - and thereby to augment their ability to articulate complex ideas with clarity, eloquence and power.

Majors are pre-registered for this course by the department.

Major Requirement | BFA Illustration

Building on the skills and sensibilities developed in ILLUS 2000: Visual Thinking, this course will address a range of strategic considerations important for the articulation of ideas. While emphasis will remain on methods for encouraging conceptual aptitude and innovation, there will be greater focus on specific forms of communication. Practical issues such as the nature of audience and the context for interpretation will be matters of concern, as will vehicles for communication and the handling of media. The basic aim of this course is to enable the student to discover a creative identity and develop an itinerary for upper-class study; its larger goal is to wed communicative purpose to artistic voice.

Majors are pre-registered for this course by the department.

Major Requirement | BFA Illustration

Building on the skills and sensibilities developed in ILLUS 2000: Visual Thinking, this course will address a range of strategic considerations important for the articulation of ideas. While emphasis will remain on methods for encouraging conceptual aptitude and innovation, there will be greater focus on specific forms of communication. Practical issues such as the nature of audience and the context for interpretation will be matters of concern, as will vehicles for communication and the handling of media. The basic aim of this course is to enable the student to discover a creative identity and develop an itinerary for upper-class study; its larger goal is to wed communicative purpose to artistic voice.

Majors are pre-registered for this course by the department.

Major Requirement | BFA Illustration

Building on the skills and sensibilities developed in ILLUS 2000: Visual Thinking, this course will address a range of strategic considerations important for the articulation of ideas. While emphasis will remain on methods for encouraging conceptual aptitude and innovation, there will be greater focus on specific forms of communication. Practical issues such as the nature of audience and the context for interpretation will be matters of concern, as will vehicles for communication and the handling of media. The basic aim of this course is to enable the student to discover a creative identity and develop an itinerary for upper-class study; its larger goal is to wed communicative purpose to artistic voice.

Majors are pre-registered for this course by the department.

Major Requirement | BFA Illustration

Building on the skills and sensibilities developed in ILLUS 2000: Visual Thinking, this course will address a range of strategic considerations important for the articulation of ideas. While emphasis will remain on methods for encouraging conceptual aptitude and innovation, there will be greater focus on specific forms of communication. Practical issues such as the nature of audience and the context for interpretation will be matters of concern, as will vehicles for communication and the handling of media. The basic aim of this course is to enable the student to discover a creative identity and develop an itinerary for upper-class study; its larger goal is to wed communicative purpose to artistic voice.

Majors are pre-registered for this course by the department.

Major Requirement | BFA Illustration

Building on the skills and sensibilities developed in ILLUS 2000: Visual Thinking, this course will address a range of strategic considerations important for the articulation of ideas. While emphasis will remain on methods for encouraging conceptual aptitude and innovation, there will be greater focus on specific forms of communication. Practical issues such as the nature of audience and the context for interpretation will be matters of concern, as will vehicles for communication and the handling of media. The basic aim of this course is to enable the student to discover a creative identity and develop an itinerary for upper-class study; its larger goal is to wed communicative purpose to artistic voice.

Majors are pre-registered for this course by the department.

Major Requirement | BFA Illustration

Building on the skills and sensibilities developed in ILLUS 2000: Visual Thinking, this course will address a range of strategic considerations important for the articulation of ideas. While emphasis will remain on methods for encouraging conceptual aptitude and innovation, there will be greater focus on specific forms of communication. Practical issues such as the nature of audience and the context for interpretation will be matters of concern, as will vehicles for communication and the handling of media. The basic aim of this course is to enable the student to discover a creative identity and develop an itinerary for upper-class study; its larger goal is to wed communicative purpose to artistic voice.

Majors are pre-registered for this course by the department.

Major Requirement | BFA Illustration

Building on the skills and sensibilities developed in ILLUS 2000: Visual Thinking, this course will address a range of strategic considerations important for the articulation of ideas. While emphasis will remain on methods for encouraging conceptual aptitude and innovation, there will be greater focus on specific forms of communication. Practical issues such as the nature of audience and the context for interpretation will be matters of concern, as will vehicles for communication and the handling of media. The basic aim of this course is to enable the student to discover a creative identity and develop an itinerary for upper-class study; its larger goal is to wed communicative purpose to artistic voice.

Majors are pre-registered for this course by the department.

Major Requirement | BFA Illustration