Teaching Cultural Understanding to Undergraduate Graphic Design Students

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  • Title: Teaching Cultural Understanding to Undergraduate Graphic Design Students: A Case Study for Design Educators
  • Author(s): Melissa McMullen
  • Publisher: Common Ground Research Networks
  • Collection: Common Ground Research Networks
  • Series: Design Principles & Practices
  • Journal Title: The International Journal of Design Education
  • Keywords: Graphic Design Curriculum, Cross-Cultural Design, Intercultural Design, Culture, Cultural Understanding, Global Awareness
  • Volume: 14
  • Issue: 4
  • Date: February 11, 2020
  • ISSN: 2325-128X (Print)
  • ISSN: 2325-1298 (Online)
  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.18848/2325-128X/CGP/v14i04/19-28
  • Citation: McMullen, Melissa. 2020. "Teaching Cultural Understanding to Undergraduate Graphic Design Students: A Case Study for Design Educators." The International Journal of Design Education 14 (4): 19-28. doi:10.18848/2325-128X/CGP/v14i04/19-28.
  • Extent: 10 pages

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Abstract

Despite the global, multicultural environment that many graphic design professionals are expected to work in today, design students are often provided little educational training on the topics of cultural understanding and global awareness. This article describes a semester-long undergraduate course that examined these topics, highlighting key readings and areas of discussion as well as class projects. The course was structured using the three-pronged approach of Intercultural Design Competence. This article argues for the inclusion of a similar course in future graphic design curriculum in order to better prepare young designers for successful, long-term careers in the discipline and offers suggestions for how to effectively do so.