COR 470 SOCIAL INNOVATION LAB: APPLYING DESIGN THINKING TO WICKED PROBLEMS
As part of a 16-credit immersive semester, students will work collaboratively to address a “wicked” social issue using design thinking methods in a dedicated experiential learning environment. This experience will bring together theories and practices of design thinking and social innovation to address a "wicked problem" affecting our local community. Students will draw from cross-disciplinary expertise to define the problem as a group. Within the 16-credit framework, students will have the opportunity to deeply engage with this issue, generate multiple possible approaches, prototype and test the most promising, and iterate with feedback from stakeholders and those affected by the issue. Students will define and approach the issue; lead extensive inquiry, both qualitative and quantitative; and bring their unique disciplinary perspectives to bear throughout the project. Students may create artifacts ranging from research plans, reports, proposals, grant applications, usability reports, documentation, presentations, videos, and regular reflections. This course is writing intensive. Open to students in the third or fourth year of study. Counts as one unit toward the ELR. Co-requisites: IDS 470, IDS 471, and IDS 472.