Play and Participation

The course is a programme course given in the second semester.

The course can be part of the following programme: MFA Programme in Child Culture Design (K2CCD)

Bachelor's degree in design of at least 180 credits or equivalent. Applicants must prove their knowledge of English: English 6/English B from Swedish Upper Secondary School or the equivalent level of an internationally recognized test, for example TOEFL, IELTS. In addition, approved work samples are required.

The overall theme of the course is play and participation and contains components that highlight these concepts in connection to both children's culture and design. Through a series of lectures, students are given the opportunity to take part of multidisciplinary research results and is expected to refer to research and theory in their design projects. In the course, the student is introduced to methods for developing their own design process with a focus on co-design.

The course focuses on the activity of play. Via the playability of the public space, such as schoolyards and playgrounds, the conditions linked both to the places and to the tools that are available are examined. Lectures, workshops, text seminars and study visits highlight children's place in the public space. The artistic exploration ranges from the design and accessibility of the physical space to the design of the artefacts that enable various activities.

The design projects carried out in the course are contextualised via references from other design projects, the given context, the meeting with the user and literature studies. The student practices identifying and formulating subject questions, explores co-design in meetings with the user and applies the methods in their own design process.

On successful completion of the course the student will be able to:

Knowledge and understanding

• discuss the inclusion of children's perspectives in the design process through co-design
• relate their own design practice to theories of play and child development

Competence and skills

• develop their own design projects in relation to a given context and conditions
• make use of co-design to develop their own design project

Judgement and approach

• evaluate their own design project and its relevance and relation to children's culture.

The teaching takes place in the form of seminars, tutorials, study visits and lectures. The course also includes individual practical design work.

Language of instruction: English

The learning outcomes are examined through:

• written assignments in connection with the course's seminars
• oral presentation of results and process of their own project work
• completed design project work

Submission of complements to a carried out examination assignment may be allowed.

Absence from examinations may, based on the teacher's assessment, be replaced by another form of examination.

If a student who has been failed twice for the same examination element wishes to change examiner before the next examination session, such a request is to be granted unless there are specific reasons to the contrary (Chapter 6 Section 22 HF).

If a student has received a certificate of disability study support from the University of Gothenburg with a recommendation of adapted examination and/or adapted forms of assessment, an examiner may decide, if this is consistent with the course’s intended learning outcomes and provided that no unreasonable resources would be needed, to grant the student adapted examination and/or adapted forms of assessment.

If a course has been discontinued or undergone major changes, the student must be offered at least two examination sessions in addition to ordinary examination sessions. These sessions are to be spread over a period of at least one year but no more than two years after the course has been discontinued/changed. The same applies to placement and internship (VFU) except that this is restricted to only one further examination session.

If a student has been notified that they fulfil the requirements for being a student at Riksidrottsuniversitetet (RIU student), to combine elite sports activities with studies, the examiner is entitled to decide on adaptation of examinations if this is done in accordance with the Local rules regarding RIU students at the University of Gothenburg.

The grading scale comprises: Pass (G) and Fail (U).

Students are given the opportunity to evaluate the course anonymously at the end of the course. The result and any changes to the structure of the course should be communicated both to the students who carried out the evaluation and to the students who are to start the course.

The student is responsible for any costs in connection with the implementation of the course.